Project Athena
by Fuchs-chan
Summary: Silvertree, a talented hacker, is removed from the Matrix and taken to Project Athena- a protected place for hovercraft to land. Coming soon... an unusual exile, character backstory, and PLOT! Updated 83104
1. Popups

Disclaimer: The Matrix belongs to the Wachowski brothers and WB Studios; MSN belongs to some big corporation, I don't know or care which. Seriously. Why would I be writing fanfiction if I owned the Matrix?  
  
Chapter One of Project Athena: Popups  
  
Note: When Lina's computer talks, it talks like this.  
  
"Awww, dammit!" Lina Birkison snarled, glowering at her computer monitor in fury. "Goddammit! So many damn viruses! Her computer, despite a firewall and multiple antivirus programs, some of them her own creations, was a mess. Out of the blue, all open windows, including the scant handful of popups which had evaded her anti-popup program had suddenly begun to shut, all by themselves. As she watched, the last popup closed, and her screen went black. "Dammit!" she continued to rant. "You install the best firewall money can buy, improve it, install virus scanners, and you think you're safe, and then-" she suddenly shut up as green letters spread haltingly across the black screen:  
  
Shut up, Silvertree.or should I say Lina? Whichever you prefer.  
  
Lina froze. Her mind babbled 'I'mscrewedI'mscrewedI'mscrewed! Must not panic, must not panic.' If this person knew who she was, who she really was, they knew that she, Lina, was guilty of enough online theft to lock her up forever. Or did they? No, everyone had heard of Silvertree. Silvertree, who had stolen millions via the Internet, (and donated all of it to organizations like ACLU and Amnesty International, but they didn't know that). Silvertree, who had gotten away with it. Her computer was typing again:  
  
The Matrix has you, Silvertree.  
  
What the hell? That term, 'The Matrix' seemed to ring a bell somewhere deep in her brain.whatever. She pressed the escape key. Nothing happened. She reached for the power switch on her computer, then froze as the letters on the screen commanded  
  
Don't you dare, Silvertree.  
  
She pushed the switch anyway, or tried to. It wouldn't move, and the letters, infuriatingly, remarked  
  
I told you so.  
  
Lina collapsed into her swivel chair, muttering unsavory things about "Damned psycho computer-hacking cyberstalkers who know far too much," conveniently forgetting that much of this description applied to her. "Goddamn freak!" she growled. "Damn them, I bet their mother was a-" Once again the letters cut her off:  
  
You leave my mother out of this, coppertop! Follow the butterfly.  
  
Lina sneezed, and when she opened her eyes again, her computer was back to normal, popups and all. As she watched, a new popup flickered into being over the browser window. Lina automatically moved to close the ad, but stopped, the cursor hovering over the close button. The popup was advertising MSN, and it sported the slogan "It's Better with the Butterfly!® and a jaunty rainbow butterfly logo in the corner. The butterfly. The letters had said to follow the butterfly, or else. She had never clicked a link on a popup before- she was sure that many of them were riddled with viruses. But now was no time to worry about something like that. "Follow the butterfly." she whispered, and clicked.  
  
***  
  
Me: Yay! My first chapter! More coming soon!  
  
Lyrrik: Define soon.  
  
Me: Shuttup, Lyrrik. Just because you can give me ideas doesn't mean you can be a jerk.or does it? Who cares? Soon is in a day or so.  
  
Author's Note: Lyrrik is the Incarnation of my Creativity. She gives me ideas to write about and can (when she's feeling nice, i.e.: not often) magic away writer's block. 


	2. Teaspoon

Disclaimer: I own none of the following: The Matrix, MSN, Shockwave, and Dunkin' Donuts. However, Lina/Silvertree (and all the characters so far) and the phrase 'spoon-bug' are mine!  
  
(nik!) is now officially the sound clip [boing] is now officially the phone 'ploink' is thoughts.  
  
Project Athena- Chapter 2: Teaspoon  
  
Lina hesitated a moment, then clicked. Instead of opening the MSN website or a full-screen ad as expected, a small window popped up with the Shockwave logo in it and a sound clip began playing.  
  
(Silvertree, my name is Pheniks. I have no time to answer questions. You know that something is not right in this world. You can't explain what makes you believe this, but you do, and passionately. You learned to hack because you thought, if you could have access to any computer, anywhere, you might be able to piece together the answer to the question. While you were searching for it, it was searching for you. And now it has found you. But you already know the answer.)  
  
"The Matrix," Lina whispered, half unconsciously.  
  
'what the hell.where'd that come from?.'  
  
(Yes,) the voice of Pheniks said calmly, as though it was no great thing for a disembodied voice to know what someone had whispered under their breath in a locked room that was continually checked for bugs.  
  
'my dear god, that's freaky.this person heard my answer.or did they just guess?.no, impossible.'  
  
(If you want to understand the answer, be outside the Dunkin' Donuts at the corner of Maple and Elm street at eleven thirty PM tomorrow night. We'll meet you there.) The window closed, leaving Lina staring at the MSN ad again. Tentatively, she clicked the popup again, but all she got was an online registration form for 1000 free hours of MSN. Swearing, she closed the registration form and popup. This was all so creepy! How in hell had that person known what she was saying and doing? The only logical explanation was that it was all just a dream.  
  
She went to the kitchen and made a cup of tea. Tea always helped her think . When the water boiled, she sat and idly bobbled her teabag up and down until she judged the tea was black enough to help her tired mind think straight. She squeezed out the teabag, added sugar to her cup, and stirred. She plunked an icecube in and took a gulp. She set the mug down, then took a long sip, noticing absently that she had forgotten to remove the teaspoon she had stirred with. Suddenly, the spoon squirmed and became a sort of worm with several long, spiky appendages- legs? Antennae? It looked metallic, almost robotic. She had to be dreaming now. And if it was a dream, why put the cup down? She wanted to see what the spoon- creature would do. She got her answer soon enough- the creature suddenly dove down her throat and squirmed its way down her esophagus causing nausea and pain. "Damn spoon-thingy." Lina moaned, collapsing to her knees on the floor. Just when she thought she would throw up, she pitched forward.  
  
and whacked her head on her keyboard. A cold cup of coffee, dangerously close to said keyboard made dangerous sloshing noises. She was still at her desk. "It was a dream.all a dream." she gasped, gulping down the nasty remains of the coffee before it spilled and ruined something. Then the phone rang. When she picked it up, Pheniks' voice was on the other end. [We've run out of time, Silvertree-come to the Dunkin' Donuts now. No delays, just come.] "Uh, OK," Lina replied dubiously, but Pheniks had already hung up. She shut down her computer and left, locking the door behind her. ***  
  
More coming!  
  
Another chapter! Yay!  
  
Lyrrik: And about time, too!  
  
Spoilsport. Lyrrik: Tee hee! And thanks to kangaroo for their nice review!  
  
Yes, many thanks! 


	3. Carsick

I'm going to try to update more regularly, although the actual plot is waiting until after I see the Matrix Revolutions. Please review me! Anyway, here goes with another chapter.  
  
'spoink' is thoughts- sorry it's not clearer, but ff.n keeps eating my italics and stuff.  
  
Disclaimer: I own none of this, apart from any characters not from the Matrix movies and the phrase 'spoon-bug'. Sue me not, for I have nothing that you want- trust me on this one!  
  
Project Athena: Chapter III- Carsick  
  
When Lina arrived at the Dunkin' Donuts, there was a shiny black car waiting for her. As she approached, one of the doors opened. A shadowy figure inside said "Get in. You're late." Lina slipped inside and shut the door. Instantly the driver reversed and drove away at at least 15 mph faster than the speed limit. A soft noise caused Lina to look up from her search for the seatbelt buckle, only to find that the person in the passenger seat had a gun pressed to her temple. She froze, eyeing the lethal object out of the corner of her eye.  
  
'now now, mustn't panic.calm down, it's just a unknown person with a gun to your head.oh, that's a reassuring thought.'  
  
"Would you please point that thing elsewhere?" she inquired politely. She'd have liked to cussed the person out thoroughly, but manners seemed the best way to ensure that she'd live to see Pheniks. However, she couldn't stop herself from adding "I'm really quite fond of my head, and I'd hate to have it blown off."  
  
"So be it," said the person, moving the gun so that it was about 10 inches from Lina's face. Lina could see straight down the barrel- she found it most disconcerting. "Now take off your sweater and lift up your shirt." Lina gave the person a puzzled look. "Now! Do it or regret it!" the person snapped, moving the gun an inch or two closer to Lina's face.  
  
'urgh.freaking out.I can see straight down the barrel.that's unpleasant.best do as this psycho says.'  
  
"For crissakes, Wynn, give the coppertop a break already!" said the person in the backseat as Lina stripped off her pullover. She raised her T-shirt, baring her navel.  
  
'why is this person defending me? who cares- at least someone is.'  
  
"Good. At least you're cooperative," remarked Wynn. "Hurry up, Lynx!" she added as the car made a dizzying turn onto the highway and accelerated even more.  
  
"Ahh, shut up," Lynx said tartly, picking up a small gizmo which seemed to feature a display screen on four spiky little legs. Lynx placed the legs on Lina's stomach, pressing down a bit painfully. She pressed a button, and Lina winced as a slight electric shock went through her guts. Wynn tucked her hair, which was long and curly and had been obscuring most of her face, behind her ears and leaned forward to peer at the screen, which seemed to be displaying Lina's innards. She had a roundish face, which contrasted sharply with her tart, crisp voice. Lina located the image of her stomach, and sure enough, the spoon-bug was there, along with the ramen noodles she'd had for dinner.  
  
'what the hell.that thing can't be real.how'd they know to look for it?.this has got to be the single weirdest night of my life.'  
  
"I have got to be dreaming now," she muttered, but if Lynx or Wynn heard her, they dismissed it as the absurd ramblings of a confused coppertop.  
  
"Yep. You're bugged. Typical," Lynx remarked calmly, as though having a robotic parasite in your stomach was perfectly normal and happened everyday. She pressed the button on the gadget again, and the screen went dark. She stuck it into the magazine pocket on the back of the driver's seat and removed a small bottle from her pocket, from which she dispensed a single tablet which looked like a chewable Tylenol or Dramamine. She handed it to Lina and ordered "Roll down your window, then let the tablet dissolve in your mouth. When it's dissolved, swallow it and lean out your window until it wears off."  
  
'what the hell?.ah well, best do what this person says.'  
  
Lina, although confused, did as she was told. The tablet tasted of nothing as all and dissolved fast. When she swallowed it, though, she was suddenly hit by a wave of nausea, worse than when the spoon-bug had been wriggling into its current spot in her stomach. She retched, and suddenly most of her dinner came up and splattered onto the road. The rest of it came up as she realized the reason for the pill: to eliminate the spoon-bug. Sure enough, it seemed to be in distress- she could feel it crawling frantically around. But its struggles were ultimately useless, though it nearly choked her with its struggles to stay where it was. When she finally spat it out, the car had left the highway and was driving down the streets of an unfamiliar city. Lina pulled her head inside the car and glowered at the little robot in her hands, then yanked it into two pieces. there were a couple of sparks, then it ceased to move.  
  
'die, robotic insect scum!.hahaha.that's for nearly choking me.what now?.'  
  
"The spoon-bug is dead," she informed Lynx. "What should I do with it now?"  
  
"Just drop it out the window," Lynx recommended. "We'll be arriving shortly." 'Shortly' turned out to mean almost exactly 17 minutes by Lina's watch. She occupied herself by wondering about the mysterious spoon-bug, which was now lying in the road miles away. Why was it so determined to stay in her stomach, and what the hell was the damn thing anyway? There were so many possible answers, each more ridiculous than the last, that she was still wondering when the driver announced their arrival and the car stopped.  
  
'where the hell am I.'  
  
Lina got out and looked around. They were outside an old warehouse. She was pleased to note that Wynn was no longer aiming at her, but the gun was still in her hand. Lina was escorted to a small door, which looked very solid indeed. Lynx unlocked it, and Lina was ushered into a space cluttered with dusty old broken crates. An area near the front office had been cleared of debris to make way for a clutter of machinery. She would have liked to inspect some of it- it looked interesting- but she was led quickly past it and into the front office of the warehouse. It was very dark- the windows had been boarded up. Lynx and Wynn and the driver, who resembled Wynn exactly except for the gun, turned and left, shutting the door with a resounding 'thud'.  
  
'ok, don't panic.eeesh, this is getting creepier by the minute.mustn't panic.'  
  
Lina looked around at the room, letting her eyes adjust to the light, or lack thereof. The room seemed empty, except for two chairs. One was the sort of straightbacked wooden chair that is so uncomfortable unless you lean back against a wall, and the other was an imposing armchair. The chairs were facing each other- the armchair faced the door from a shadowy corner, and the wooden chair was in the middle of the room, far from any convenient walls to lean on. Suddenly, the deep shadows in the armchair moved forward to become a person with black and orange hair and very dark sunglasses.  
  
'mustn't panic, mustn't panic.too late, I did.aaaagh!.'  
  
***  
  
Me: Yay! Third chapter! Sorry about the wait.  
  
Lyrrik: She is. I'm not! *dodges barrage of pencils thrown by me* Aaagh! Ok, fine, I may have deserved that- possibly. *dodges memo pad, also chucked by me* Sorry!  
  
Me: I apologize for Lyrrik's behavior, she's not usually like this. Actually I wouldn't know- she's the embodiment of my inspiration and creativity, and she hasn't been around much. 


	4. Pointless Dreamworld

Disclaimer: I own nothing that you want- if you choose to sue me, you'll get a bunch of junk that you're guaranteed to not want, so why bother?  
  
And another chapter hath arrived! I'm going to try to update every Thursday- I've got enough chapters on paper to have one each week 'til November, then put up two at once to celebrate Revolutions. Anyway, here's the next weekly installment.  
  
'shazam!.' is thoughts until ff.n stops eating my italics and boldface. The ellipses are there because thoughts just sort of melt together in endless progression, with little to no proper punctuation.  
  
Project Athena: Chapter IV- Pointless Dreamworld  
  
The stranger spoke. "Hello, Silvertree."  
  
'gyahh!.scared shitless.just act calm, and this person may not kill you.'  
  
"Pheniks." The way Lina said it, it was a statement, not a question. She recognized that voice from the clip. "How the hell did you do that to my computer?"  
  
"All shall be explained in due time," soothed Pheniks. "Come and sit down." Lina sat. The wooden chair was just as uncomfortable as it looked. "Now," Pheniks continued, "tell me- why are you here?"  
  
'I'm here because you told me to come, dumbass.'  
  
"Well, let's see, I'm here because the vaguely threatening entity controlling my computer told me to follow the butterfly, which opened a sound clip with which I had a conversation, which told me to come to a Dunkin' Donuts, then the same voice told me over the phone that the time had been moved up to right away, so I went to said doughnut shop, where I was accosted by assorted threatening people who brought me here. And that's skipping details." Lina replied sourly. She couldn't believe that this person would ask such an idiotic question.  
  
'unless they're being philosophical and stuff.'  
  
"Forty-Two." She added as an afterthought.  
  
"Hmmmf," said Pheniks with a slight smile. Lina cringed. Pheniks looked even scarier when she was amused. "I suppose those are two plausible answers, but there's a better one. Think about it. What do you suppose that answer is?  
  
'hmmm.this is the same nut from the sound clip, and the clip said that the answer was the Matrix.'  
  
"The Matrix?" she guessed.  
  
"You don't sound too sure about that," Pheniks remarked.  
  
'that sounded like Regis Philbin.what am I doing, thinking random thoughts at a time like this?.this bitch is playing with me like a puppet, first the computer, then the spoon-bug, then the people in the car, and now she's playing mind games with me.Aargh!'  
  
Lina snapped. "How can I be sure of anything when I'm living in one long dream? Any minute now, my alarm clock will ring and I'll drag myself off to another pathetic and pointless day at school, after which I will miraculously finish my evil homework and continue on my endless quest for retribution until I fall asleep at my computer, and then it'll all repeat pointlessly again and again until the end of the school year when I'll go home and visit my mad parents if they're not off picketing some random abortion clinic somewhere and sit and stew for the three months until I can resume my pointless existence at college again! My alarm goes off at 7:00 AM- it should ring any second now!  
  
'shit!.me and my big mouth.why did I tell this freak all that? It's none of her damned business.'  
  
Pheniks just looked at her in a considering sort of way. "Actually," she said after a moment's consideration, "you're right. You've been living in the dreamworld of the Matrix, and you have been brought here so that I can offer you the chance to wake up."  
  
'she can't just be talking in terms of alarm clocks and morning caffeine intake.'  
  
"That's good news, I guess." Lina ventured hesitantly.  
  
Pheniks opened a small pill case and tipped its contents into one hand. Extending that hand, she explained, "Take the blue pill and you'll be dreaming forever- we'll never bother you again. But take the red pill, and you'll wake up, free of pointlessness and evil homework forever." She smiled again. Lina shuddered. "Remember," she added, "this is a final decision- once you make it, you can never go back. Ever.  
  
'this sounds like a good deal.and if it'll spare me another summer of being dragged around to pickets and rallies and shit.if it'll give me something worthwhile to do with my life instead.ok.here goes.choose.red pill, blue pill.red pill, blue pill.'  
  
"Whatever. I want out. Out of my damnable pointless life. I'll take your red pill."  
  
'.red pill.'  
  
"You're certain?"  
  
"Bloody positive." She took the red capsule in her mouth, and Pheniks offered her a glass of water.  
  
'here goes nothing.'  
  
She swallowed.  
  
***  
  
Lyrrik: Hee hee! Another cliffhanger! At least this one's on time! *dodges swipe with big, heavy school binder* Eek! Killer psycho SandryLark!  
  
Me: I apologize for Lyrrik's horrible behavior- it'll never happen again!  
  
Lyrrik: Says who?  
  
Me: *picks up binder again and looks threatening* Says me.  
  
Lyrrik: Eep! OK, I'll be good until I can find somewhere safer to sit. *leaves seat on top of filing cabinet and sits on my head* Eee! Comfy!  
  
Me: *fumes* Here's the weekly installment, complete with thoughts, as requested by AquaPhoenix1. Thanks to A.L.T2 and Alina for their reviews. Remember, reviews are my motivation to keep turning out new chapters. Also, many thanks to my friend who is reading all my chapters on paper before I post 'em!  
  
Lyrrik: *bounces around and giggles, just to annoy me* If anyone can tell me where the seemingly random "forty two" came from, they will be joyously serenaded by meeeeeeeee! *nearby water glass cracks and spills water onto the floor. *blushes* Oopsie.heh heh heh.  
  
Me: Silver may start to reflect my sense of so-called humor a bit- forty two is just the beginning. *rubs hands and grins evilly* Oh, and if you haven't noticed yet, *** means chapter over, A/N begun. Oh yeah, she reflects my political views too.sadly her parents don't.no offense meant to anyone at all. 


	5. Alarm Clock

Hooray! I'm actually managing to update once a week!  
  
Disclaimer: All the characters so far are MINE, as is the term 'spoon- bug', which will keep popping up occasionally since I like the way it sounds so much. *giggles* Spoon-bug! Spoon-bug! I own nothing else in this fic. If you want to sue someone, I'm not the person you want to drag into court, 'cause all you'll get is a bunch of useless junk sprinkled liberally with dust bunnies.  
  
'spoon-bug!.' is thoughts until ff.n stops being so mean and eating up my boldface and italics and ellipses and stuff (argh.). Oh, and Silver's thoughts are really random- they're kind of the comic relief at times.  
  
On with the chapter!  
  
Project Athena: Chapter V- Alarm Clock  
  
Before Lina had even finished swallowing, Pheniks stood up. Now that she was no longer in the shadows, Lina could see that she had black hair streaked with red and orange and was wearing a black trenchcoat so long that it brushed the floor, as well as a pair of very businesslike-looking combat boots. She also noted, to her (very) slight amusement, that the person that had scared her to within an inch of her life was about half a foot shorter that her. However, there was something about this person that seemed to scream "do not start with me- you WILL NOT win!"  
  
'...so what now?...I've been scared out of my wits, dragged around in the middle of the night, threatened with a gun, been caused to puke all over the road, and been scared half to death AGAIN, for this...whatever it is, it had better be good...'  
  
Pheniks swept out of the room, motioning for Lina to follow.  
  
'...righty then...follow her...'  
  
She tagged along into the main warehouse, to the cleared area with all the gizmos.  
  
"Sit," Pheniks ordered, indicating another wooden chair in the center of the clutter. Lina sat. One of the lookalikes- either Wynn or the driver, stuck several somethings with wires attached to her. Lina didn't even question her.  
  
'...what the hell is all this?...as long as it works, I guess I don't give a damn...'  
  
Snippets of talk reached her ears, but they made no sense: "Got it yet, Lynx?"..."Ready, Sketch?"..."I'm picking up a signal right now..." and so forth.  
  
'...what the hell are they talking about...ahh, who gives a shit?...'  
  
Suddenly, lost all feeling and her vision went all funny as her surroundings dissolved into...  
  
'...pink goo?...'  
  
Lina tried to swear, but something was blocking her mouth and throat. Judging by the liquid condition of her surroundings and the fact that she hadn't drowned yet, she guessed it must be an oxygen supply. Through the slime she could fuzzily see things sticking out of her all over the place- wires? Tubes?  
  
'what the...and I thought the last dream was bad...'  
  
With what seemed like far too much effort, she sat up. The tough membrane covering the top of her pod didn't make the process any easier. With a gargantuan effort, she managed to haul the pipe from her throat and wipe the goo from her eyes. The view was astounding once she did- in a confusing, terrifying way.  
  
'...what the fuck?...all those, those whatever-they-ares...with people in them...I don't like this at all...'  
  
Her view in all directions was full of towers, towers studded with regular rows of pods just like hers- except their contents were all asleep. Pheniks' words echoed through her head: ".so that I can offer you the chance to wake up."  
  
'...shit...Is this the real world?...I think I'll pass...I'll just put in that damn tube and lie back and go to sleep again...'  
  
She looked around for the tube, but it had fallen back into the pod, and was now full of goop.  
  
'...double shit...gyaghhh!...'  
  
Some sort of robot was suddenly hovering in front of her, looking very threatening indeed. Abruptly, it grabbed her neck in a metal claw and did something that hurt like hell. A very large cable or tube fell away from the base of her skull, and the pain suddenly stopped, only to be replaced by the pain of all the other dozens of cables coming off of the rest of her body.  
  
'...ah, hell...that hurts...agh...yowch...'  
  
The last of the cables fell away, and a hole opened in the back of the pod, near where her head had so recently been. The pod goo drained fast, and Lina grabbed for the nearest handhold- the robot. She actually managed to grab on for a moment, but her hands were too weak to hold herself back. Her grip slid off of the thing, and with a howl of "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!" she was flushed along with the last trickles of goo- like a dead goldfish- down into a cold, dark sewer pipe. ***  
  
And another chapter!  
  
Lyrrik: Wahoo and stuff. *waves little flag with the letter S on it*  
  
Thanks. I guess 'S' stands for SandryLark?  
  
Lyrrik: Nah. It stands for 'stupid, egotistical, irritating, bossy.  
  
School Binder (with help from me): WHAP!  
  
Yay! I don't have Lyrrik sitting on my head anymore! *pats school binder* Good girl! *feeds it a few post-it notes*  
  
School Binder: Arf!  
  
Lyrrik: *does triple somersault in air and lands on the scanner. Hard.* Oof. I'm okay.*falls onto desktop* Owwie.  
  
Stop that, Lyrrik. You know that I know that you're not really injured. Plus, you brought it on yourself by sitting there in the first place.  
  
Lyrrik: *stands up, acts businesslike*  
  
OK, do your stuff.  
  
Lyrrik: Hear ye, hear ye: last chapter's challenge was answered correctly by frankiethemouse. Thankyou, and congratulations! The 'forty-two' reference does indeed come from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by the late, great Douglass Adams. Many, many thanks to Kalista3 and da white rabbit for their reviews. Oh, and I should mention me and SandryLark's policy on flames, just in case (though nobody has sent any yet, for which we are grateful). Any flames that find their way into SandryLark's inbox will be printed out and stuffed into her ski boots to be used as toe warmers, which are really useful, but cost lots of money at ski lodges. So really, if you flame, please be aware that you're actually saving SandryLark some money. Thanks for listening. Oh, and I owe frankiethemouse a serenade! *clears throat* *sings to the tune of 'Happy Birthday'* Congratulations to youuu! Congratulations to youuu! Congratulations, frankiethemouse! Congratulations to youuuuuuuu!!!!!!  
  
Very good job, Lyrrik! You can all take your fingers out of your ears again now.  
  
Lyrrik: *sticks out tongue*  
  
See you all next week, same bat-time, same bat-.erm.website? I don't know! Bye!  
  
Lyrrik: Byeee! 


	6. Under Construction

Hi there, everyone! Here goes with another chapter! Oh, and I'm going to start referring to Lina as Silvertree or Silver, now that she's out of the Matrix.  
  
'yada yada yada.' is what Silver's mind says to her at random intervals.  
  
Disclaimer: I call upon Saint Dogbert, patron saint of technology, to banish the demons of stupidity which surely have possessed the brain of anyone who can't figure out that I don't own any of this besides the characters and the phrase 'spoon-bug.' I don't even own Saint Dogbert- Scott Adams does. *sulks*  
  
Project Athena: Chapter VI- Under Construction  
  
Silver was moving down the pipe at disturbingly high speed.  
  
'.dammit.help.oh no.no.ungood.plusungood.aghh!.'  
  
She shot out of the pipe and splashed into a lake of filthy water. She flailed around, trying to tread water, but she was too weak, as she soon realized. Her head kept going under, and she was swallowing far too much water.  
  
'.damn.this is great.all that stuff, only to be flushed into a lake to die.I wish there was something to hold on to.something floaty.hey, why not float?.'  
  
With effort, she took a deep breath and lay back in the water, gasping for air. When she was convinced she wasn't drowning anymore, she took a look at her surroundings. She seemed to be in a cave of sorts, or a really big sewer pipe.  
  
'.a really, really big sewer pipe.'  
  
her mind amended as her eyes adjusted a bit and she saw how huge it really was. She was starting to feel positively frozen when a sudden patch of light, accompanied by a grating screech appeared above her and a little to the left.  
  
'.what the.'  
  
A robotic claw dropped through the patch of light and swayed for a moment before plucking her rather indelicately from the water.  
  
'.no.plusungood.what the hell is this?.'  
  
The claw lifted her slowly through the light, which proved to be a trapdoor  
  
'.or a manhole.or a storm drain.'  
  
and into.something. A building of sorts, it seemed. It placed her on the floor, and the shock and terror and cold finally caught up with her. She blacked out.  
  
'.unhhh.'  
  
She came 'round again some indeterminate amount of time later to find herself on a cold, hard table of sorts under bright fluorescent lights that seemed to be giving off heat. She took a minute or two to bask before opening her eyes again to notice that there were a myriad of thin silver pins stuck all over her.  
  
'.ah.warm.but why do I look like a robotic porcupine?.huh?.where the hell did that come from?.'  
  
As she dozed off again, she thought  
  
'.those are going to hurt like heck when they come out.'  
  
When she next drifted into consciousness, most of the pins were gone and she was mostly covered with a blanket. A person wielding something shiny and sharp-looking was doing something to her thigh.  
  
'.wha?.'  
  
"grmff.," she mumbled.  
  
"What- Hey! I think she's finally conscious!" the person called out. Another person walked into Silver's field of vision. They looked exactly like the first person, and both of them bore a strong resemblance to Wynn and the driver from the night when she'd left the dreamworld.  
  
"Were you trying to say something?" inquired the second person.  
  
'.no- ya really think so!.'  
  
Silver nodded very slightly. "Yeah. Gettoff my leg, or I'll tell the vicar."  
  
The people both smiled slightly. "Sorry, pal." replied the person, busying herself with Silver's leg once more. "I am the vicar, and the rest are all done already." Silvertree squinted- her eyes smarted a bit- and raised her head an inch or two, trying to see what was being done.  
  
"Just rest," advised the second person. "You'll be fine soon enough."  
  
'.sure.'  
  
Silvertree drifted in and out of wakefulness a bit, but not much, until one day she awoke to find herself fully clothed and lying on a bed. Not a very comfy one, but a bed, not a table. The only traces of the wires were small metal disks firmly planted in her skin where each wire had been. They looked like little sockets, and an IV drip had been inserted into her arm through the one on her left forearm.  
  
'.what?.I'm so confused.oh well, out it comes, I suppose.'  
  
Slowly, cursing with every millimeter, she extracted a particularly viscious-looking needle.  
  
'.oww, dammit.that hurts!.'  
  
When it was finally out, she stood up and surveyed her surroundings. ***  
  
Lyrrik: If you know where the 'ungood.plusungood' line or the 'gettoff my leg' line came from, write in and you'll get an imaginary chocolate truffle! If you don't understand, I'll explain next chapter.  
  
BillyBob the Robotic Porcupine: Meep!  
  
Lyrrik: He's pretty pointless- all he does is go 'meep!'  
  
Shush, you! *hugs BillyBob*  
  
BillyBob: Meep! Meep! Meep!  
  
Lyrrik: That's even worse that the Knights Who Say 'Nik!' from Monty Python! *Snatches BillyBob and imprisons him in the filing cabinet*  
  
BillyBob: *muffled* Meep. Echoey Filing Cabinet: meep! eep! eep! eep.*fades off* 


	7. Exploration

Here goes with another chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own this, blah blah blah, don't sue me please, blah blah...  
  
'...this means thoughts...'  
  
Project Athena: Chapter VII- Exploration  
  
Half of the little room was occupied by the bed, which was built into the wall and had storage space underneath. She slipped out the door, wincing as it creaked a bit. She immediately discovered that it is fairly impossible to tiptoe in boots.  
  
'...damn...too loud...I'd better take them off...'  
  
She stowed them behind a few pipes, making sure she didn't mess anything up in the process, and proceeded silently down the corridor, which was lined with doors just like hers.  
  
'...where the hell am I?...'  
  
She turned around when she got to the end and took a good look at where her room was.  
  
'...fifth on the left...'  
  
Once she was sure she knew which was hers, she turned and stealthily climbed a ladder, which she assumed led to the next level up. Glancing down to the level below where she'd started, she saw a person and winced, but the person was too engrossed in what they were doing to notice.  
  
'...darn it...hope they don't notice me...what're they doing, anyway?...'  
  
Once she was certainthat the person wouldn't notice her, she peered down at their work with interest. A panel had been removed from the wall in front of the person and wires spilled out like entrails, reminding Silver unpleasantly of the frog she'd dissected in bio lab last year. The person was wrapping frayed wires in tape.  
  
'...eurgh...shut up, Silver- it's not a frog, just a bunch of wires...'  
  
She proceeded to the next level, and stared. There was more arcane equipment here than she'd ever seen in one place.  
  
'...well, maybe...but don't forget that field trip in sixth grade... Silver!...shut up!...'  
  
She stalked around the room, examining it all. The chairs reminded her a bit too much of the dentist, but otherwise, she was happy. She examined piece after piece of strange machinery, and she found the founding plate, which proclaimed in slightly rusty letters that she was on the hovercraft Cassiopeia, built in the year 2100 ('...that's impossible...it's 2003, for crying out loud!...) She was just taking a look at the bank of screens and wiring with endless program code ('...or something...') cascading down them when someone shouted "The new girl is gone!"  
  
'...dammit.'  
  
As the echoes died away, Silver ducked behind a cluster of vertical pipes and crouched behind some sort of machine. She discovered that if she peeked around the pipes, she had a good view of the ladder, but anyone in the vicinity of the ladder probably couldn't see her.  
  
'...shit...I don't think I'm supposed to be on this level...much less on this level sitting in the middle of the equipment...dammit...think of some kind of excuse, quick!...'  
  
She crouched lower, and in doing so caught a glimpse of her fuzzy reflection in a bit of the machine's housing, which was evidently relatively new. What she saw shocked her.  
  
'...that's me?...'  
  
She was much skinnier than she had been, and her hair was almost entirely gone. She winced- she'd liked her long hair. She'd known that it was mostly gone, but she'd had no idea it was this short. She ran her hands over her head and found that her neck was sore not from sleeping at the wrong angle, but from another plug, much larger that the others.  
  
'...damn...ow...I look really stupid...'  
  
Before she could continue, the person she'd seen earlier ran past (making, in Silver's opinion, an inordinately large amount of noise) and skidded to a halt a few feet away from the ladder. Someone else, sporting lots of long, black hair, came up the ladder, scrambling onto the floor to make way for two people on their way down the same ladder. Silver sighed enviously.  
  
'...they all have hair...damn, I'm jealous...'  
  
"Really, Lynx, must you wake the dead with your stomping around?" inquired the second person.  
  
"Pheniks, I just went to check on her, and she wasn't there!" Lynx explained, not bothering to answer Pheniks' question.  
  
"Calm down, Lynx," admonished Pheniks.  
  
"She can't have gone far," added a disembodied voice. A moment later, the source of the voice came up the ladder.  
  
"Good point, Cougar," remarked one of the other two people, who Silver recognized as the ones who'd had all the needles. She winced at the memory.  
  
'...I can't hide forever...I guess I might as well quit cowering behind here before they turn the place upside down looking for me or send out a search party or something...here goes nothing...'  
  
She took a deep breath and stood up. "I agree. You do have a good point there," she informed the person called Cougar. Everyone stared at her as though she'd dropped out of the sky. ***  
  
Lyrrik: Whee! Another chapter! *does the chicken dance* I don't wanna be a chicken, I don't wanna be a duck, so-  
  
Shut it, Lyrrik. It's 6:45 AM on a Friday. I got up early to finish this chapter, but nobody else wants to wake up right now.  
  
Lyrrik: *continues doing chicken dance silently*  
  
Much better. 


	8. Introductions

Hello, everybody.  
  
Lyrrik: Go Red Sox! *waves little 'Red Sox' pennant and then bops Billybob with it.  
  
Oh, and Silver's views on the current US president aren't meant to piss anyone off, it's just what she thinks. Same goes for Lyrrik's ridiculous views on the Red Sox and Billybob.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the characters. The phrase 'spoon-bug' is also mine, but does not appear in this chapter.  
  
Lyrrik: *nudges me and points*  
  
Oh, wait, it already has. Whatever.  
  
'...this is Silver's brain's running commentary on life, the universe, and everything, a.k.a. thoughts...'  
  
Project Athena- Chapter VIII: Introductions  
  
Pheniks was the first to quit gawking.  
  
"Well," she said, "it would appear that Cougar was right. Come and meet the crew."  
  
'...well, here I am...why the hell not find out who all these people are...'  
  
Silvertree came closer. "This," Pheniks said, indicating Cougar with a hand gesture, "is Cougar, ship's medic. These are Tee and Wynn." The identical women nodded. "It's not easy to tell them apart by looks, but Wynn is the one with the temper. That's Lynx." The person who had been doing electrical work gave Silver a small smile.  
  
'...why do these people look so different?...Lynx's hair was at least six inches shorter before...this is weird...'  
  
"Sketch is busy in the mess- doing dishes," Pheniks continued. "Yak is our operator, but she's out trying to beg, borrow or steal more solder for Lynx." Right on cue, another person came walking in from the other end of the room, slightly out of breath and looking flushed.  
  
'...her hair reminds me of carrots...why am I thinking random garbage at a time like this?...'  
  
"Sorry I took so long- oh! Sleeping Beauty has rejoined the world at large! Welcome..." her voice trailed off as Pheniks gave her a withering glare.  
  
'...mental note to self: never piss off Pheniks...not ever...'  
  
"This," Pheniks said, using the tone usually reserved for describing something slimy and dead dragged in by the cat, "is Yak." Yak seemed to shrink under Pheniks' death glare, but as she was approximately six foot tall, it didn't make much difference. After a brief, uncomfortable silence, Yak sidestepped behind Cougar to try and hide from Pheniks' glowering, which produced a rather laughable image: a six-foot girl trying to hide behind a man at least eight inches shorter.  
  
'...hah!...poor Yak...I wouldn't wish that glare on my worst enemy...well, maybe George Bush, but no one else...'  
  
After another silent moment, Lynx said quietly, "Yak, I need that solder- the engine level wall looks like something disemboweled it. Messily." Yak handed over a small spool half-full of solder to Lynx who took it and disappeared down the ladder. Cougar followed her, leaving Yak exposed once more to the wrath of Pheniks, but Pheniks was no longer paying her any attention. Tee wandered off in the other direction, muttering something about a missing spanner set. Wynn and Pheniks exchanged a look, and Wynn moved to one of the dentist-esqe chairs and began doing something to it.  
  
'...maybe she's checking it over...I hope I didn't mess it up- that's the one I looked at...'  
  
Wynn turned and gave Yak and raised her eyebrows at Yak. "What're you waiting for?" she demanded. "Hell to freeze over?"  
  
"If it's anywhere 'round here, I wouldn't be all that surprised if it did," Yak muttered darkly, rubbing her arms and shivering slightly. She too walked over and was lost from view behind the tangle of monitors and machinery.  
  
'...what're they doing?...I'm not sure I like this...'  
  
"Now," Pheniks said to Silver, "I said that all would be explained, didn't I?  
  
'...the phrase that springs to mind is something like 'no shit- and about time, too!'.'  
  
Silver thought sourly as she followed Pheniks to the chair where Wynn was standing. She noticed that Yak was busy with the bank of screens, but before she could wonder what was being done, Pheniks was telling her to "Sit down, lie back, and don't tense up. It's only worse if you do."  
  
'...what's worse?...I don't like this one bit...'  
  
"Relaxed?" Pheniks was asking as Silver followed her previous instructions.  
  
'...I'd be a whole heck of a lot more relaxed if you'd tell me what's going on...'  
  
Pheniks evidently didn't really give a darn whether Silvertree was relaxed or not, because without waiting for an answer, she turned and asked Yak "Ready?" Yak must have nodded, because Pheniks said "Good." Turning to Silver once more, she informed her "This'll feel a bit odd, but only for a moment."  
  
'...what'll feel odd?...why isn't anybody telling me anything?...damn...'  
  
She heard a slight metallic noise somewhere behind her head, and suddenly a sensation of something so cold-feeling that it hurt shot through her head, starting at the plug in the base of her skull.  
  
'...odd just doesn't cover it...'  
  
she thought, yelling a random expletive and wincing.  
  
'...now that's odd...shouldn't a shout that loud echo in this blasted building...ship...whatever?...'  
  
The cold feeling was fading, and she opened her eyes, which she had squeezed shut in response to the whatever-it-was. "What the..." her voice trailed off as she surveyed her surroundings in nothing short of full- fledged astonishment. ***  
  
Lyrrik: *Looks smug*  
  
She's happy because she took out Billybob's batteries and now he's dead. *sniffles*  
  
Lyrrik: No he's not! *replaces batteries* And Billybob is a robot, and therefore genderless.  
  
Billybob: *Eyes light up* *Nothing else happens*  
  
See? He's dead!  
  
Lyrrik: Stick his nose into your palm pilot's serial cradle and press the 'synchronize' button.  
  
*I do so*  
  
Billybob: Meep! Synchronization complete! Meep! Meep!  
  
He lives!  
  
Lyrrik: Grrr.Dammit. *goes off to plot Billybob's gruesome demise* 


	9. Construct

Lyrrik: Bwahhh! The Red Sox lost! *lower lip trembles* And they were doing so well... *breaks down sobbing* Waaaaah!  
  
Calm down, Lyrrik, there's always next year. I still think that the Sox winning the Series is a systemic anomaly that only can happen once per century, but hey- that's just my odd Matrix-obsessed viewpoint...  
  
Anyhoo- Blah, blah, don't own nada, blah, except for characters and 'spoon- bug', blah, blah...  
  
I happen to have strong supportive and liberal views when it comes to the issue of abortion, and so Silver does too. This isn't meant to offend anyone- if you're antiabortion, that's fine and stuff too. I appreciate your feedback if you want to suggest changes in Silver's opinions or the way I'm writing her opinions into the fic. If you have something to say, I'm totally ready to hear it, but please don't flame- I'd rather buy footwarmers (see chapter 5 for explanation). Constructive criticism is very, very welcome and will be read happily and with an open mind. On a similar note, in the war of the computers, I take the side of the PC users- I am one. So's Silvertree, and she's very opinionated. Don't flame me for that either, please.  
  
'...when Silvertree's crazy little mind says stuff to her...it looks like this...'  
  
Project Athena- Chapter IX: Construct  
  
She was surrounded by whiteness. Infinite whiteness.  
  
'...damn, that's weird...'  
  
Glancing down, she noted that there seemed to be no difference between the floor and everything else- it was all the same featureless shade of bright white.  
  
'...what the hell am I standing on?...where the hell am I, for that matter?...ah, well, best have a look 'round...'  
  
She knocked on the floor, which was cool and smooth and flat- like glass- stared up into the endless blankness, and turned slowly around.  
  
'...you do the hokey-pokey and you turn yourself about...damn!...random crap isn't appreciated, brain!...'  
  
She heard a noise behind her and spun around to find Pheniks standing behind her.  
  
'...right...she wasn't anywhere in sight about four and a half seconds ago...this is getting weirder by the pikasecond...'  
  
Pheniks was once again clad in her floor-length coat and combat boots, and her hair was accented with red and orange again, instead of the ratty old knitted pullover she'd had on the ship. This prompted Silvertree to look at herself, which caused severe shock.  
  
'...hell, that's strange...no, that's beyond strange, that's downright bizarre!...'  
  
Her old sneakers had replaced the darned and holey socks, and she was wearing her favorite jeans- the ones with the split knee patched up with an old paisley bandanna. Her ratty old sweatshirt was tied around her waist again, and her tee shirt (red letters on black) proclaimed: "THIS IS MY ANGRY-AT-THE-WORLD, ANTISOCIAL, SCARE-THE-SOCCER MOMS BLACK TEE SHIRT." It left her arms bare, showing a distinct lack of plugs. She could feel her braids tugging at the back of her head- she ran her hands over her head and found no plug there, either. Put simply, she once again looked like Lina Birkison, underage college freshman.  
  
'...cool...I look normal again...but damn, is this ever weird!...'  
  
Apparently sensing that Silver was about to start asking questions, Pheniks launched into what sounded like a rehearsed speech: "This is our loading program- we call it the Construct. Here we can load anything we could possibly need- everything from clothing to training programs."  
  
'...what?...I must have missed something there- I would have sworn that she just said this is a computer program...I'll ask...'  
  
"Come again? I would swear that you just said we're in a computer program."  
  
"I did. That odd sensation you had was Wynn inserting a data transmission spike through your head plug. The information it is sending your brain overpowers the actual nervous input your five senses are supplying. The data being sent tells you're your eyes, your ears, your nose, your nerves and muscles that you're standing here hearing me talk, seeing what you see, looking like what you look like. In reality, you're sitting in a plug chair on the Cassiopeia, with no hair to speak of and plugs all over."  
  
'...what?...a computer is telling my brain that all this is happening, but it isn't...impossible...or is it?...'  
  
"But..." Silver's voice trailed off. There was really nothing she could say to argue. Pheniks obviously knew what she was talking about, period. Silver decided to test her understanding of what was happening. She pinched herself hard. "Owch!...so your program just told my brain that I saw my hand move, felt it move, felt it touch my other arm, and is still telling me that my arm now stings like crazy?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"That's one hell of a program."  
  
"You haven't seen anything yet. This is chicken feed compared to even the simplest training sim. But yes, it still is 'one hell of a program'."  
  
'...righty then...so I didn't hear her wrong...this is really weirding me out...'  
  
"And my real body is sitting in that chair thingy, and it didn't move at all?"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
'...this is really freaky, dammit!...and I thought the whole car trip was scary...oh, for a nice picket rally and a heap of hypocritical bullshit antiabortion pamphlets to bombard innocent passerby with under the watchful eyes of Mom and Dad, who are so proud of their daughter following in their activist parents' footsteps!..."  
  
"And this has what to do with the Matrix, exactly?"  
  
"The Matrix is like the Construct in that it pipes sensory illusions into the brain of anyone plugged into it. It is different in that we control this program- nothing can come in or out with out the say-so of the operator- in this case, Yak. We can come and go as we please- all we have to do is tell Yak we want out, and she'll get our minds safely back to our bodies."  
  
'...hold it- the Matrix puts delusions into peoples heads, which incapacitates their physical bodies...why?...'  
  
"Implying what?" Silver demanded. "That anyone plugged into the Matrix is essentially the prisoner of whoever is on the other end- in Yak's position?" She crossed her fingers.  
  
'...good God, please let her say no...that would be just way too horrible...'  
  
"Right in one," Pheniks informed her matter-of-factly.  
  
'...damn...now that's scary...but why would anyone...?...'  
  
"Who? What? Why? When? How is that even possible?" she sputtered incredulously.  
  
"Yak, we need chairs, and a laptop" Pheniks announced into a tiny cellular phone. The same chairs from the warehouse appeared, along with a low brick wall about three foot high. Silver grinned. Evidently either Yak or Wynn (or both of them) knew how bloody uncomfy the littler chair was. Pheniks took a seat in the bigger chair and opened her laptop up. Silver noted it was an iMac- the very newest model.  
  
'...damn, not a bloody Mac user...'  
  
"Now," Pheniks announced, opening a slide show on the screen (Silvertree noticed with glee that it was done in Microsoft PowerPoint), "I can answer your questions properly. Hmm, where to start...' ***  
  
BillyBob: *ambles across key(axfbj,;43+)board* Meep! *ambles over mousepad* Meep! Meep! *hops onto other desk and ambles towards my Dad's keyboard*  
  
Algebra Textbook: *falls* Whumpf!  
  
BillyBob: Mee-*crunch*  
  
Lyrrik: *doing the macarena on the textbook, which she dropped* And that's for all the abominable headaches and irritation and...  
  
*picks up Science text and looks menacing* You...killed...BillyBob... *picks up Algebra text*  
  
Random Winged Hedgehog Lying Among the Wreckage of Billybob: *picks self up* Oww...I'm alive...well, mostly alive, anyway...  
  
Lyrrik: Who are you? *picks up letter opener and waves it like a sword*  
  
Now, now, Lyrrik, don't be so territorial.  
  
Random Winged Hedgehog: *picks bits of smashed robot out of prickles* I'm Milligan, muse at large. My specialty is romance-type-stuff.  
  
Stay with me! I need help with romance-type-stuff. *sees Lyrrik looking murderous* Maybe. But stay anyway. Consider yourself hired. Lyrrik, be nice. Milligan, this is Lyrrik, my Creativity. She's very good, she just can't write romance-type-stuff. She can't even write decent slash humor. Otherwise, she's got everything under control.  
  
Lyrrik: *flushes with pleasure, quickly hides letter opener in pencil jar* Seeya next week, peoples! C'mon, Milligan- I'll show you around.  
  
Byee! 


	10. Answers

Happy Halloween, peoples! And more importantly, happy upcoming Matrix: Revolutions!  
  
Lyrrik: And happy Guy Fawkes Night, too! *dances 'round with bunches of unlit sparklers in each paw*  
  
Sorry. Lyrrik's a bit of a pyromaniac, not that that reflects my sweet, gentle little personality at all...*tries to look innocent and hides sparklers behind her back*  
  
Lyrrik: Shaddup. We all know how psyched you are that you're using Bunsen burners in science class. Anyway, here's the update. Remember: there's two new chapters coming on NEXT TUESDAY, to celebrate the Coming of the Final Matrix Movie.  
  
Disclaimer: Yes, I know I'm shamelessly ripping off stuff from the Wachowski brothers' great work, but considering I'm only one insignificant member of the vast hordes of people who do, why bother me about it? Go yell at someone else.  
  
'...this is what it looks like when Silver's brain condescends to comment on stuff...'  
  
Project Athena- Chapter X: Answers  
  
"At the end of the twenty-first century," Pheniks began, showing Silvertree a picture of a mass of robots wearing hard hats crossing a street, "human civilization had reached its peak. And the pinnacle of its achievements was the creation of true Artificial Intelligence- robots with intellect rivaling, if not surpassing that of their mortal creators. The machines created had the ability to perform those tasks that no human wanted to do but which required thinking- and many other tasks besides. Human labor became unnecessary, and the people lived in relative ease. Then the robots revolted." She tapped the space bar and the slide changed to a photo of a riot between machines and people.  
  
'...echh...'  
  
"Judging by the amount of blood and gore in that picture, it would seem that the machines won," Silver remarked.  
  
"Indeed," Pheniks agreed. "Created in man's own image, with all of mankind's intelligence, and then treated as mindless, unfeeling drudges, they rebelled, and their mechanical strength proved too great for the humans to fight off. The fighting lasted for years upon years, but to cut a long story short, in a last-ditch effort to do the robots in, the military decided to do something drastic."  
  
'...so the military decides to do something drastic, eh?...that can't be good...'  
  
Pheniks changed the slide again. Now the screen showed a mass of black and ominous clouds filling the skies over a barren and blackened wasteland. The skeletal remains of a city loomed on the horizon.  
  
'...and that, my friends, is what happens when people can't learn to compromise...hell, that's a mess...'  
  
"So the military's bright idea was...?"  
  
"We have no idea exactly what they did- the documentation is long gone. What we do know is that it effectively blocked the sun's light from reaching the surface."  
  
'...oh, that's clever...why didn't they think of that before the machines decimated them?...oh, maybe a simple issue like the fact that nothing can survive without a primary energy source...like maybe the sun?...'  
  
"How lovely. I'm sure they had their excellent little reasons, but it seems pretty damn stupid thing to do."  
  
"They had excellent reason. The machines lived on solar power. It was thought that without the sun-"  
  
"They'd all die."  
  
'...or shut down...or whatever...'  
  
"But of course, they screwed up and the machines found some kind of sneaky way around the sudden power shortage, didn't they?" Silver remarked. The robot that had attacked her in her pod had certainly shown no signs of losing power.  
  
"But of course," Pheniks said dryly.  
  
'...and the plot thickens to the approximate consistency of peanut butter...'  
  
"Each of the pestilential human beings that had besieged them for so long generated over 120 volts of bioelectricity and plenty of body heat everyday, for their entire lifespan," Pheniks continued. "Why should the machines regret the loss of the sun when they had such a large, ever- multiplying army of batteries? They used their remaining power to come up with a way to harvest biothermal and bioelectric energy, and they were all set." She tapped the space bar again, and the screen displayed a view of a person in a pod just like the one that Silver had lately woken up in.  
  
'...impossible...that's just effing impossible...'  
  
"Impossible," Silver argued. "No human would ever permit themselves to be used as a mere power source. It goes against fundamental human nature. They'd revolt."  
  
'...wouldn't they?...'  
  
"Of course they'd revolt, IF they knew what was going on," Pheniks said calmly. "In order to keep their new power sources docile, the AI created the Matrix- a vast program like this one meant to keep the people asleep and dreaming. Where you woke up-" she indicated the picture on the computer screen "-was in a power plant."  
  
'...she's joking, just joking...must find hole in logic...ah!...people in...um...thingummies...can't move...therefore, they cannot reproduce...I hope...'  
  
"But if all humans are confined to those...those...thingummies-"  
  
"Pods," Pheniks put in helpfully.  
  
"Pods, then. If all people are in pods, then how can there ever be a next generation? How can they reproduce? Certainly not by the conventional method." This was her very best argument, but she had a horrible feeling that Pheniks would inform her otherwise.  
  
Pheniks changed the slide again, but did not show Silvertree the picture. "Humans are cloned- the embryos are placed in miniature pods to finish developing, and are then transferred to full-size pods." Pheniks said matter-of-factly. "If you care to check sometime when you're back in your real body, you'll find that you have no belly button."  
  
'...WHAT?...that was somewhat RANDOM!...'  
  
Silver's consternation must have showed on her face, because Pheniks went on.  
  
"The navel is left over after the removal of the umbilical cord, which supplies nutrients to the fetus in the womb. The pod-born children don't grow them- no need. One of the plugs is an IV supplying nutrients and fluids."  
  
'...why do I have this morbid desire to know what the hell the pod-people are fed?...'  
  
"Nutrients and fluids from where?" Silver regretted having spoken as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She just knew it would be something horrible.  
  
"The only living things left on this planet, microbes aside, all die at some point. Their remains are, naturally, recycled."  
  
'...blurgh!......that's horrible!...eurghh...'  
  
"So you're saying that for the first fifteen years of my life, my body had subsisted on a diet of recycled corpses?"  
  
"Augmented with assorted synthetic vitamins and minerals, yes." Pheniks could have been discussing the weather for all the emotion she spoke with. She handed Silver the laptop, which was promptly dropped by hands gone numb and nerveless with shock and disgust. Mercifully, it didn't break, and Silver picked it up and peered at the picture on the screen.  
  
'...those are without a doubt the ugliest, most sickly-looking plants I've ever seen...no, they're not plants...'  
  
"Ohh...no. No," Silver breathed. The 'plants' were twisted, vinelike structures laden with a multitude of glowing podlets. In the ones closest to the camera, she could see the faint shapes of infant children, one per pod. A single tear ran down her nose and splattered onto the keyboard. It came as a shock- she hadn't cried in ages. Pheniks' crisp tones broke the silence.  
  
"So now you know, Silvertree. Now you have your answers. What is the Matrix, and who controls it, and why? The Matrix is a complex system built by the machines to control the humans so they can harvest power."  
  
'...no...this can't be happening...this isn't really happening...I didn't hear this...I'm going to wake up late again soon and panic all morning...'  
  
"That's all?" she demanded.  
  
"Unless you want the blow-by-blow of the war, yes, that's-"  
  
"Good! Now get me out of here! I can't stand it any longer, this real/not real construct shit...let me out already..." She opened eyes she didn't remember closing, back in the plug chair. Something metallic scraped and clicked behind her and her head filled with tingling and heat. She sat bolt upright, fumbling for the foot straps, and discovered that someone had already unlatched them. She flung herself from the chair and ran for the ladder, nearly slipping and falling down the hatchway in her haste. She sprinted down the hallway, skidding in her socks and counting doorways.  
  
'...fifth on the left...fifth on the left...'  
  
She ducked inside, shut the door hard, and looked around for something to jam the handle with so nobody could intrude upon her misery. She saw nothing except some important-looking pipes protruding from one wall, cursed, and collapsed on the bed with her face in the pillow. Her ribcage ached from suppressed sobs.  
  
'...nobody's watching...why the hell not?...'  
  
She let the tears come.  
  
***  
  
Milligan: Aww, she's sad. That was mean, Lyrrik.  
  
Lyrrik: *chucks Matrix videocassette at him* You'd be sad too! Have you even seen the movie? No, I didn't think so either!  
  
Milligan: *catches videocassette in midair* Okay, I'll go and watch it. *flies off*  
  
once he's out of earshot...  
  
Lyrrik: He's so cute!  
  
You certainly have an odd way of showing your affections...  
  
Lyrrik: Shut it! I've got another chapter ready for you! Don't make me forget it!  
  
Eek! *grabs pen and spiral notebook* Ready to write! 


	11. Athena

Lyrrik: *singing* Ceee-le-brate good times, c'mon! *dances*  
  
I'm all psyched too, or I'd tell her to shut up. *dances along with Lyrrik*  
  
Anyhoo, got up at 5 am to update this, as my mother (argh...) packed me off to bed before I could update. I know, I deserve to be yelled at for promising and then going to bed. Flame at will for that.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't even pretend to own anything but the characters so far, so don't get mad at me. Incidentally, the spoon-bug is Lyrrik's pet now. It's actually quite cute.  
  
'...oh good lord...shut up, brain...' is what happens when Silver thinks stuff.  
  
Project Athena- Chapter XI: Athena  
  
She had no idea how long she lay there- it could have been hours, or minutes. Eventually she nodded off to disturbing dreams of endless pods and batteries with faces. She came suddenly 'round when someone tapped on her door.  
  
'...nngh...bug off already...meh-it does me no good to make enemies by being bitchy...'  
  
Silver sighed and opened up the door to find Yak there with the pair of boots in hand.  
  
"I found these by the ladder," Yak informed her. "If they didn't fit or something, we can find you a different pair, but for Godsake don't hide stuff."  
  
"Sorry," Silver apologized, feeling a bit ashamed. "They fit fine. They were just no good for exploring in." She took one of them back from Yak and tapped the heavy sole on the floor. The sound echoed off the metal superstructure.  
  
'...you idiot...you should have left them in your room, not hidden them...'  
  
Yak nodded. She appeared to be thinking. "C'mon," she said suddenly. "I'll show you around."  
  
"I've already seen most of the ship, I think," Silver said.  
  
'...liar...you haven't even seen half of it...oh, shut up!...I'm not feeling social...'  
  
"I wasn't talking about the ship, I was talking about Athena," Yak replied.  
  
'...Athena?...'  
  
"Athena?"  
  
"You'll see. Come on- Sketch is busy, but maybe we can get Voldie or E.M. to join us."  
  
'...damn...this just gets worse and worse...'  
  
"Erm, ok?" Silver said dubiously.  
  
"Great! Super!" Yak said, already making a beeline for the ladder. Silver reclaimed her other boot and put them both on, then followed after.  
  
'...just fantastic, isn't it all?...'  
  
She tagged along through the core and out the other end to what lay beyond. A hatch had opened down to ground level on the outside, letting in gusts of cold wind. Silver found herself instantly wishing for a parka. But when she stepped outside, the cold was forgotten as she gaped openly at what she saw.  
  
'...ohh...my...dear...god...'  
  
She was in a cave. No, not a cave- a section of a tunnel. A framework of beams and girders soared up to a rough ceiling and down to a rocky floor, with a good couple hundred feet in between if she was any judge of distance. The beams formed shelves on the stone walls, and the shelves supported lots and lots of machinery. A platform stretched across the middle, supporting what could only be a building, judging by all the people coming and going. A stiff wind whipped through, turning a host of windmills attached anywhere the wind would reach them. Silver waited for the wind to tug her braids, and then remembered that they didn't exist.  
  
'...actually, they never did...what is all this?...'  
  
"Welcome," said Yak's voice in her ear, "to Project Athena. Home to about 140 people, most of whom are part polar bear. The other ones are all freeze-dried."  
  
"Do the machines know this is here?"  
  
"Sure, they know, but they can't actually do anything about it. We've got sensors and EMPs all over the place. If one of the machines gets too close, the EMPs get it."  
  
'...huh...well, as long as it's safe...'  
  
"EMP?"  
  
"ElectroMagnetic Pulse," Yak informed her. "Kills anything electric that gets inside the radius. They take a lot of power, but we're near the surface here. There's something about this section of tunnel that makes it really windy, hence the windmill generators. Every few months, each ship goes back to Zion to refuel."  
  
'...it's like she's speaking a different language...and I'm not fluent in it...dammit...'  
  
"Zion?" Silver inquired, in growing irritation. She hated feeling ignorant.  
  
"You might call it the human capitol of the world," Yak explained. "Most humans live there. It's deep underground, away from the machines, and it has endless supplies of thermal energy, so that's where the hovercraft recharge. Come on, let's go find someone." She towed Silver towards the little building in the center, shepherding her through the tangle of equipment and finally inside.  
  
'...ahh...warm...'  
  
It was blessedly warm inside, tiny, and crammed with people and computers.  
  
"We call this the hive. It's round, and there's always a ton of people coming and going. It's pretty much Command Central- communications from Zion are transmitted here. People come here if they need to find something. Or in our case, someone." Yak looked around and then pointed out a girl who looked a little younger that Silver, with black hair that was cut all one length and stuck out every whichway around her slim face. "That's E.M. Evidently, Mop has done something to piss her off. Again."  
  
'...hm...I can think of people I'd like to yell at like that...'  
  
Indeed, E.M. was apparently cussing out a skinny young man with an unkempt head of brown dreadlocks.  
  
"Hey Emmy! How many times must I tell you not to yell at Mop?" Yak demanded. "It's not like he's clever enough to understand your insults!" Turning to Silver, she explained: "Mop enjoys pissing E.M. off, and then E.M. beats him up, and he annoys her again, and-"  
  
"-it all repeats." Silver finished with a smile.  
  
Meanwhile, E.M. had apparently finished yelling at Mop, becaulse she kicked him in the shins and stalked over to where Yak stood. "My name," she snapped, "is NOT 'Emmy'! It's E.M. already. Get it through your skull! Who's this?" she demanded suddenly, switching subjects so fast that Silver didn't even have time to blink.  
  
***  
  
Lyrrik: And on to the next chapter! *dances* 


	12. Madhouse

Okay, I'm a horrible, terrible person. I promised to update twice the Tuesday before last and I didn't and now it's Thursday again and I still owe chapters and stuff. My pathetic excuse is that I had tons of homework and I felt all miserable about the shitty ending to a brilliant trilogy that I just couldn't write.  
  
Lyrrik: *sobs theatrically* It was so sad! I was totally uninspired and so SandryLark was uninspired and I'm just barely getting over it now... *big crocodile tears splash all over desk*  
  
There, there, Lyrrik, it'll be okay...Now, let's see. For the next few chapters, until I can work in my plot device that'll fix the plot damage from the Matrix: Revolutions, can we just pretend that the third movie never came out? I can find a way around the evil mess the Wachowskis made, but for the moment, Silver and co. need to just blissfully exist in their alternate universe until I can write the explanatory bit in. Thanks.  
  
Lyrrik: Oh, and some of the characters are based on SandryLark's friends. As you can see, she keeps very...odd company. *is menaced by all of SL's scary, mad friends in full Matrix attire, complete with sunglasses, who have suddenly appeared near desk* Eeep! *sticks paws in air* I surrender! And apologise!  
  
SandryLark's scary, mad friends: *disappear again*  
  
Disclaimer: I own not, so you sue not.  
  
'...Silver thinks inside single quotes and ellipses...like this...'  
  
Project Athena- Chapter XII: Madhouse  
  
"For to see Mad Tom o' Bedlam/Ten thousand miles I'd travel..." -from "Boys of Bedlam" by Steeleye Span ***  
  
"This," Yak said without even batting an eyelash, "is Silvertree." E.M. looked blank. "The new girl, smarty!" Yak reminded her.  
  
"Oh. Hi. I'm E.M." E.M. extended her hand and shook Silver's whole arm emphatically.  
  
'...oww...who the hell is this person?...and why are they trying to pull my arm off?...'  
  
"Sorry," Yak apologised. "E.M. gets a little...overenthusiastic sometimes."  
  
"Erm...okay then," Silver replied, too engrossed in checking her arm for sprains, dislocated joints, or broken bones to think of anything better to say.  
  
"So, E.M.," Yak continued, "I was just showing Silvertree around a bit. We're going on to find some of the others- I wondered if you wanted to come with."  
  
'...others?...as if two madwomen weren't enough to deal with...'  
  
"Nah, I can't. The Verdandi is going in for recharge tomorrow morning early; we've got a lot to do. I was just here getting clearance for us to leave-"  
  
"When you saw Mop and just couldn't resist having a good yell at him," finished Yak.  
  
'...try to be polite...make conversation...'  
  
"What'd he do?" Silver inquired, trying her hardest to be polite.  
  
"Existed," Yak muttered to herself.  
  
"Something like that," E.M. admitted. "Actually, he put something icky in my hair and called me 'Emmy' again. Anyway, thanks, but no I can't come along."  
  
'...whew...'  
  
Silver tried not to look too relieved.  
  
"You might try Voldie or Helly," E.M. suggested, shattering Silver's hopes for relative sanity.  
  
"Hellcat's hanging around the Cassiopeia with Sketch," Yak said. "I think they're sulking about the lack of anime in the real world or something. Where's Voldie?"  
  
'...hello...I'm still here...aren't you forgetting someone?...oh well...I'll just enjoy the warmth and see if my nose has thawed yet...'  
  
"Voldie, Vix, and N/A (author's note: pronounce 'N/A' like 'Anna'- it's a character's name) are hiding out on the Skuld in Voldie's room. When I last saw them, they were deciding on the best way to tame a squiddy."  
  
'...squiddy?...attack of the language barrier...again...'  
  
"I'd say hit it with an E.M.P. and cut it up," Yak said thoughtfully. "That's about as tame as you can get. Anyway, thanks for telling me. Have fun in Zion, and bring back those socks you borrowed from me and left there." E.M. snickered, and Yak towed Silvertree out into the cold again.  
  
'...shit, that's cold!...I should have brought my blanket or something...'  
  
"Brrr...did I miss something there?" she inquired as Yak led the way.  
  
"Oh, sorry. The socks are a bit of an inside joke. Y'see, E.M. 'borrowed' the socks and made a sock monkey out of them, and then I told her to return my socks, and she said she didn't have them, she had the sock monkey. So theoretically, because she made it but used my socks, we co-own the sock monkey, but she left it in Zion months ago because she was mad at me..." Yak babbled about the sock monkey dilemma all the way to their destination. Silver tuned her out and tried to think instead of listening.  
  
'...she said there're something like 140 people here...chances are, not all of them are nuts...'  
  
Yak towed her into another hovercraft. When they got inside, Yak set off towards the bedrooms, showing no sign of knocking or otherwise informing the residents of her prescence.  
  
"Erm...shouldn't you knock or something?" Silver asked cautiously.  
  
"Nah. Captain Panteleimon's probably the most good-natured guy in Athena, and I'm in and out of here all the time. Besides, when Voldie and co. get together in groups of more than two, the sane people tend to clear out."  
  
The Skuld was very like the Cassiopeia- the two ships had obviously been identical once upon a time, but they had been repaired with a patchwork of stuff until they no longer matched. Yak led the way to one of the bedrooms and walked in without knocking, interrupting three other girls mid-giggle. ***  
  
Lyrrik: And then, due to the insanity of the assorted characters, the genre of the story was changed to 'humor/parody' and left that way...  
  
No, it wasn't. I just needed to write something silly to introduce new characters (who will someday be important) and make the denizens of Athena more fun to write. I'm putting up more chapters within 2 days- be warned! 


	13. Peace, Quiet, and Sanity

Okay, here's another chapter to make up for being horrible and telling lies *sings* telling lies, telling liees!  
  
Lyrrik: Sorry. She's been listening to Steeleye Span all day...  
  
Disclaimer: The Project Athena concept is mine. If for some odd reason you want it, you can use it if: you ask nicely, tell me the name of the story you use it in, and give me a mention for it in your disclaimer. Everything else, excluding characters, isn't mine.  
  
'...I'm thinking of an animal...long shaggy hair...horns...four feet...hooves...that's right!...a yak!...' thought Silver randomly.  
  
Project Athena- Chapter XIII: Peace, Quiet, and Sanity  
  
When Silver and Yak returned to the Cassiopeia, Silver had lots to think about. She'd found Voldie, Vix, and N/A to be pretty good company, but there'd been no escaping Yak and her endless talking. Other people had popped in, but Silver couldn't remember their names. Yak had then dragged her around to another two ships to meet other people, whose names also escaped her.  
  
'...I am not a people person...I can't remember them all!...dammit...'  
  
Yak talked quietly all the way back 'home' about nothing in particular. For some reason, Silver felt as though she'd been wrung out through a mangle- tired and sore. When they got back to the Cassiopeia, Silver would have dearly loved to flop into bed and try to sort out her thoughts, but Yak had other plans. She was towed to yet another room, this one with a table in the middle. She sat down gratefully on a bench with her head in her hands, but before she could think so much as '...what the hell is going on?...', Yak plunked a tin dish down in front of her and added, to Silver's bewildered amusement, a spork.  
  
'...a spork?...heheheh...that's...random, I guess...'  
  
"This," she was informed, "is what passes for food here. At least theoretically, it's got everything you need- vitamins, minerals, the whole works. I've never actually heard of it being proven, though. When you're done, put your dish and spork upside-down on that rack over there- last person to eat turns the steam cleaner on, and that's not you." She sat down next to Silver and opened her mouth to keep talking, but before she could start, a voice that Silver recognized cut her off.  
  
"Yak, stop terrorizing the new girl." Yak shut her mouth again and left, muttering an unintelligible excuse, and Lynx sat down at the opposite side of the table, leaving Silver plenty of space to breathe.  
  
"Thanks..." Silver mumbled with an exhausted sigh. Silence descended as she sat and idly poked at the sludge in her dish, thinking of nothing in particular.  
  
'...ahh...sweet silence...peace and quiet...'  
  
"Eat your goop- it's good for you," Lynx commanded absently. Silver was too dozy to object so she obediently stuck a sporkfull of 'goop' into her mouth.  
  
'...eughh...'  
  
"Ugh," she muttered. It was, without a doubt, the most disgusting thing she'd ever eaten. It had the consistency of phlegm and tasted like kaolectrolyte fluids, with a slight multivitamin aftertaste.  
  
"I know, it's disgusting. It's best to just finish quickly and get it over with," Lynx advised. Silver took one look at her spork, which wasn't exactly designed for eating goo, and picked up the dish instead. Taking a deep breath, she drank it down, mentally cursing the inventors of the computer that started it all, beginning with Babbage and Lovelace and their punchcards.  
  
'...eww...why did this happen to me?...'  
  
"Righty then, goop gone," she said, putting the dish on the table again. Lynx gave her a tin mug of water, which she gulped gratefully. It helped clear away the slimy feeling.  
  
"Unless I'm very mistaken, right about now you're starting to realize that the fate of humanity lies in the hands of a bunch of very slightly eccentric people, and you've just joined their ranks."  
  
'...good point...'  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And you're probably finding someone to blame?"  
  
"But of course," Silver shrugged.  
  
"Might I inquire whom it is you're blaming?"  
  
'...nosy, nosy...tsk tsk tsk...can't I have any peace and quiet?...evidently not...'  
  
"Charles Babbage and his lady friend and their damnable bits of cardboard."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"The guy who invented the first computer of sorts, his assistant, and their punchcard programs."  
  
"I see. A word of advice- don't blame anybody yet. Not having anyone to blame will just drive you crazy for a while, but you'll have a chance to make up your mind whose fault it all is later. For the moment, just try to forget about it."  
  
'...forget about it?...oh, that'll be easy...not!...'  
  
"I know, I sound like I'm totally mad, but I know what I'm talking about. Most of the population of Athena would give you the same advice- ninety-odd percent of them have the same issue to deal with."  
  
'...'tever...hang on a second!...ninety-odd percent, not everyone?...meh, stupid me...it stands to reason that if they've had time to build cities, they've had time to procreate...and the babies wouldn't have had to live in the Matrix at all...I'm too tired to think...'  
  
"So," Lynx went on, "just to make polite conversation, where'd Yak take you today?"  
  
'...hello, trying to think here, don't feel like talking!...this is why I never had any friends and never wanted any!...best to be polite, though...'  
  
"Around," Silver said vaguely. "The Hive, a couple of other ships."  
  
"Meet anyone worth talking to?"  
  
'...please leave me alone!...'  
  
"Vix and N/A seemed nice- Voldie and E.M. were a bit scary, though."  
  
"Oh, Yak's crowd. They're not actually all that crazy, they just like to scare the rookies."  
  
'...typical...'  
  
"And once you know how to deal with Yak, she's not a bad person to talk to either," Lynx reassured her. Silver's head inadvertently drooped onto her arms. "Good grief- go to bed. I forgot- your 'internal clock' is set for Massachusetts. For whatever reason, Athena is on California time. You must be wrecked, and you're probably still a little sore from reconstruction. Go on."  
  
'...bed!...three cheers for Lynx!...'  
  
"Thanks," Silver said politely. "G'ni-" The rest of the word was lost in a yawn.  
  
Lynx smiled as she watched Silver leave. In her mind's eye, she could see a girl a little older and quite a bit shorter- a younger version of herself- stumbling off to bed in the same fashion, hanging on to things to keep from toppling over in exhaustion. Smiling to herself, she went to find something useful to do. ***  
  
Lyrrik: *does the chicken dance* Yay! Another chapter! Within two days as promised!  
  
Yeah and stuff...*falls asleep*  
  
Lyrrik: *pokes me* Wake up! There's that songfic to do still!  
  
*wakes up* Oh yeah, that...in a random burst of inspiration, Lyrrik came up with a songfic. Now I have to type it up and post it or she'll thwap me. It's Matrix-inspired- check it out, please!  
  
Lyrrik: That is of course assuming that you don't fall asleep again before you can post it...  
  
*yawns* I'll have another chapter up soon, plus the usual Thursday update. Bye! 


	14. Morning

Lyrrik: *yawns enormously* *falls out of air and crashes to floor* Ow...I'm alive...  
  
*picks Lyrrik up and sets her next to the soma cube on the desk* *makes bed out of soma cube*  
  
Lyrrik: Ah, the wonders of the soma cube... *curls up and sleeps*  
  
*yawn...* here goes...  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Project Athena and the characters. Surprised? I thought not.  
  
'...thoughts look like this...okay?...'  
  
Project Athena- Chapter XIV: Morning  
  
Silver was awakened when something made a sudden, jarring noise and the lights came on, flooding everything in an unnatural white light.  
  
"Damn!...I'm awake already, stupid alarm clock!" Silver groused, sitting up and rubbing her eyes and finally remembering where she was.  
  
'...well, damn again!...'  
  
Shivering, she ventured out to find the others, who she figured would know what to do. Yak and a short girl with violently curly blond hair who could only be Sketch were in the hallway in similar states of bleariness. As the three of them made their way in the direction of the mess, Pheniks peeked out of her room, looked at them, and retreated.  
  
'...need sleep...'  
  
Lynx was already in the mess, looking like an owl at high noon. She obligingly made space for them to all crowd onto the benches, and after consuming more goop and water, Silver was starting to feel more like herself. Tee, Wynn, and Pheniks had joined them by then, which left only Cougar unaccounted for. When she said as much, though, she didn't get the answer she was expecting.  
  
"Cougar," Lynx informed her dryly, "may be anywhere by now. After all, the lights have only been on for what is it?- ten minutes?"  
  
"Seventeen," Sketch corrected. "Bloody morning people."  
  
A moment or two later, Cougar himself came in, looking very like the cheerful, energetic students in Silver's morning math classes whom she disliked so much.  
  
'...and I thought that they needed a good thwap 'round the head!...'  
  
"Yak!" he said far too cheerfully, "The Agamemnon wants your help with a squiddy that blundered into the sector 1a EMP."  
  
'...and what, pray, is a 'squiddy', anyway?...and why isn't anyone telling me anything?...'  
  
"I say that if they need help cutting down a dead robot into spare parts, they're a lot of bloody incompetents and I don't want anything to do with them," Yak said indifferently.  
  
'...a 'squiddy' is a robot?...now would it have really been such an inconvenience to tell me that at some point?...'  
  
"One of their torches is broken."  
  
"So lend them one of ours," Yak said in exasperation. "Look- I have better stuff to do today than dissecting dead squiddies. The torches are with the other tools."  
  
'...'better stuff'?...let's hope that doesn't include dragging me 'round Athena again...'  
  
"Well, fine. Be that way," Cougar said in tones of mock offendedness.  
  
"Ah, shove it up your-"  
  
"That is quite enough from both of you," Lynx said firmly, sensing that her captain was still too sleepy to do anything about the conflict. "Yak- watch your language. Cougar- shut up and take the damn torch over."  
  
'...darn...that situation had potential to be at least somewhat funny...'  
  
Flushing very pink, Cougar left, presumably in search of a torch. A few minutes went by before Lynx shooed Yak out. "G'wan then. You know what they say: no rest for the wicked. Get going."  
  
"I may have a reputation for wickedness, but what about Silvertree?" Yak asked hopefully. "You've got nothing on her- doesn't she get a rest?"  
  
'...I resent that somewhat, though I can't see why...'  
  
"Nice try. Scram, Yak." Lynx paused for a moment before adding, "Go on, Silvertree."  
  
"On my way," Silver replied, stifling a yawn. "And please, call me Silver." She followed Yak to the Core, asking "By the way, what's going on, anyway?"  
  
"Training's going on."  
  
'...what?...'  
  
"Training?" she inquired.  
  
"Procedure, maintenance, weapons, armed and unarmed combat, assorted other stuff..." Yak replied. "You want me to go on? There's quite a list."  
  
'...oh- kay then...'  
  
"Nah. That's all right."  
  
"Good. Just take a seat there-" Yak indicated one of the chairs "-and we can get started."  
  
'...yeah...sure...whatever...'  
  
Silver flopped into the chair Yak had pointed out. Something metallic clicked behind her head.  
  
'...just like last time...'  
  
"Hold it a moment- what're you doing back there, anyway?" she demanded.  
  
"Shoving a seven-inch data transmission spike into your skull, of course." Yak sounded as though this should have been obvious.  
  
"Ah. That would explain the feeling, then."  
  
"I s'pose." Before Silver could think of some acid remark to make in response, the frozen feeling shot through her head again. As it faded, she opened her eyes, only to find that she was still in the ship.  
  
'...what?...'  
  
Seeing the quizzical look on her face, Yak explained "No program loaded." She sat in she chair by the monitors and inserted some sort of disk. Placing her hand lightly on the keyboard, she turned and inquired, "Ready?"  
  
***  
  
Lyrrik: Yes, SandryLark and me are both duly ashamed of being terrible people and updating so bloody late. Flame at will. Oh, and SandryLark was really tired while writing this- can you tell?  
  
Hello to the real-life inspirations for Dessa and Voldie, who may or may not be reading this at the moment. 


	15. Training

Yeah, I'm evil and stuff. Tell ya what- Saturdays are now officially update days- more time for me to write, more time for all of you to read.  
  
Lyrrik: *taunts me mercilessly* SandryLark's a procrastinator! SandryLark's a procrastinator!  
  
Am not. Anyway, here's your chapter, late as always...  
  
Disclaimer: Anybody who even thinks of thinking that I own rights to the Matrix must be totally bonkers. If I owned this stuff, the trilogy would probably have a totally different ending, and I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, I'd be gloating over the box-office profits. Anyone who steals my stuff (Project Athena, the spoon-bug, the Athena defense system, etc) without asking first will be set upon by Lyrrik.  
  
Lyrrik: Arg! Grrrr! *brandishes Sweeney Todd's evil straight razor*  
  
Hey! You little thief! That's Sweeney's!  
  
Lyrrik: *smirks, looks smug* He's dead. Tobias killed him at the end of the play. He doesn't need 'em anymore.  
  
Whatever. If you bother to ask me nicely, I'll probably share them, but thieves bug me.  
  
'...la di da...happy day!...' is something you will never, ever see Silver thinking...  
  
Oh yeah, and ### is the new symbol for "this is now officially the author's note". *** is now otherwise employed as a symbol for skipped time.  
  
Project Athena- Chapter XV: Training  
  
The sudden torrent of knowledge boggled her. The sensation of suddenly knowing would have been more fun than anything else if Yak had been teaching her anything interesting, but it was mostly boring. Repair stuff, basic first aid, stuff like that.  
  
'...whoa...'  
  
The code recognition was cool while it lasted, as was the disk on dangerous machines, but it was like comparing History to Math: better, but only a bit. The training dragged on. She was halfway through a set of basic language disks- enough Spanish, German, French, Italian, Russian, Mandarin, and Japanese to say "Where's the nearest pay phone, please" and other basic stuff, when she decided she needed a break from it all.  
  
"Demasiado informacione..." she said weakly. (A/N: Spanish for 'Too much information')  
  
"Quitting so soon?" Yak asked mischievously, tapping the keyboard and pausing the stream of information.  
  
"No. I need the bathroom. I assume there is one?"  
  
"Next door to the mess." Silver raised an eyebrow. "All the plumbing's centralized- it's more efficient that way."  
  
'...okay...'  
  
Yak pulled the jack out of Silver's head, and she waited a moment for the dizziness and tingling to go away before lurching to her feet. She clung to the chair arm for a moment before walking very slowly towards the bathrooms. The toilet looked like it would have been more at home on an airplane than anywhere else, but was otherwise pretty normal. A small notice on the wall said, in flawless handwriting, 'Wash your hands in the mess sink. Use soap. Thank you.' After flushing, a low hum echoed a bit in the small space. Silver froze, sure she had accidentally damaged something, but it stopped about thirty seconds later. She shrugged, obeyed the sign's edict, and returned to Yak. When she inquired as to the nature of the hum, Yak grinned wickedly.  
  
"Oh, that's just the evaporator. Athena has no good water source- every drop counts." Silver pulled a disgusted face.  
  
'...ewww...how very pleasant to know...'  
  
"So, what's next?" she asked.  
  
'...please don't let it be boring...'  
  
"You'll finish up the languages, and move on to other stuff."  
  
"Other stuff like...?" The only answer she got was that horrible cold feeling in her head. Rolling her eyes, she lay back and tried to fall asleep as the last of the languages disk downloaded. What came next was a complete and total shock: explosives.  
  
'...sweeeeet...'  
  
An insane grin spread over her face as her head filled with how-to's on everything from gelignite to to TNT. It was almost disappointing to move on to firearms. When Yak paused to dig out another set of disks, she demanded "How much more of this is there?"  
  
'...please, please let there be lots of it...'  
  
"Not counting the simulations, anywhere from twelve to twenty hours. It depends on the person. Some learn quickly, some don't. Average for non- combat is about six hours. You managed to pare it down to, oh, just a tad short of five. Pheniks says that Lynx got it in three, but then Lynx is Lynx. Don't feel bad or anything- you have to compare yourself to the normal people."  
  
"Okay... What about combat? That's what I was asking about."  
  
"Supposedly, somewhere between ten and fifteen. They say that everyone's favorite resident superhero finished combat in ten, but no one has ever even come close to that. Outlying data screws up averages so bad..."  
  
'...huh?...who?...'  
  
"Who got it in ten?" Silver asked.  
  
"You haven't heard about him then? I was sure I downloaded those history disks..." She scanned the console, checking through the stacks of finished disks before finding them on the floor where they had fallen. Silver had to grin. It was like seeing herself sorting out her notes.  
  
'...pfft!...now where the flying hell did last Tuesday's math notes go?...ha!...'  
  
Recovering the missing disks, Yak inserted the first one. Turning to glance at Silver, who was wearing a mysterious grin, she asked, "Ready, then?"  
  
***  
  
In the end, training took Silver two days, mainly because Yak refused point- blank to go longer that eight hours total in one day. Her excuse was that "Sketch tried that. She had a migraine for two days, and she was a right bitch about it." This irritated Silver quite a bit, as it meant more pluggings-in and -out, but she supposed it was preferable to a two-day headache. At about lunchtime on the second day, she sat up with what she considered a 'score' of about fourteen and a half hours.  
  
'...hmm...not so bad, I guess...considering that some people might not even be done with the combat training segment yet...but counting Yak's "little extras"- the multilingual expletives and stuff, isn't it more like fifteen?...'  
  
But when she asked Yak, Yak just chuckled. "Everyone gets a little something extra, nobody counts it, so it really doesn't matter. It all evens out in the end."  
  
###  
  
Time for thankies to all my lovely reviewers!  
  
Lyrrik: That would be OUR reviewers, thanks. Anyhoo... da white rabbit- thanks for your input. Yaebginn, I think you probably should get the "Most Prolific Reviewer Award" if such a thing actually existed. As it doesn't, just know that me and Sandrylark sent heartfelt thanks for filling SandryLark's inbox with review alerts and making her happy.  
  
Oh yeah... Yaebginn- why am I a nutcase, again? Please tell me as I'm totally mystified.  
  
Lyrrik: Yes, please enlighten me, too! The Lady Voldemort. Hmm, let's see. You go to SandryLark's school and therefore have the power to thwap her if either of us say anything bad here, so, um... thanks for reviewing and stuff. Voldie is coming, and just be patient already, please! Oh, and thanks for reviewing "Breakfast in the City"...on SandryLark's account, but still.... she'll play that song on CD for you on Monday or whenever she sees you next. Now... "poopy"...first off, who the hell are you? And if you're going to review, please have something to say. And A.L.T2- thanks for reviewing again. If you think it's getting interesting now, hold on for a few chapters of obligatory character development and stuff, and something cool will happen.  
  
And to my wonderful reader-on-paper (you know who you are...), thanks so much for all your support. That email was kinda unnecessary and all, but 'tever. Byee! See youse guys again on Saturday! 


	16. Life Goes On

No, I haven't died of math homework or spontaneously combusted...yet. I'm perfectly healthy and I have no good excuse for not updating for...what is it now? Four months? Five? The plot has gone through some major tweaking on paper, and it's practically 180 degrees from where it was going last summer.  
  
Here goes with another chapter, abominably late as always. Yeah and stuff... I'm bad and evil and furthermore I'm an evil bitch for changing the update day and then skipping it an estimated total of twenty times or more. I fully expect the Lady Voldemort to personally rip me to shreds for it... flame it you want to, or you could all attempt to telekinetically force me to hit myself in the head repeatedly...  
  
This chapter is set a week or so after the last one because I'm sick of being unoriginal and putting a "new" spin on stuff straight from the movie. I'm going to try to speed through the "major boring shit" (heheh, good old Link...whatever happened to him?) and then get on with things. This will make for some really dull stuff and some crappily written stuff, but once things start to pick up, it'll improve- I promise. Oh, and Neo shows up in this chapter. Those of you who've seen Revolutions, do not yell at me for this. The explanation of the plot device will turn up SOON (and you all know that 'soon' means 'in a couple of weeks'). If he's out of character, my excuse is he's pissed off. We never actually see movie-Neo get really angry- irritated, lovestruck, disbelieving and shocked, and of course the famous confusion, but properly angry? No. So please go easy on me for this one. Oh, and when he says "Neb" he is in fact referring to the same ship from the first movie- according to me it never blew up. Really, his presence in this chapter is simply to prove he still exists. This will be explained SOON.  
  
Disclaimer: Now hear this! Silvertree and co. are mine, as is Athena itself. If you want them, ask first. I do NOT own The Matrix, I don't even pretend to. The late Douglass Adams owned/owns the Hitchhiker's Guide and all quotes from it. I think Neo makes a brief appearance in this part so just for the record, he's not mine either. *sniffles*  
  
'...good grief...what am I doing thinking at a time like this?...' is what it looks like when Silver thinks.  
  
Project Athena: Chapter XVI- Life Goes On  
  
In the days that followed, Silver ran through a variety of simulations designed to teach things in what was often the most irritating and/or humiliating manner. The most memorable of these was known as simply "the jump program" and involved what the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy might have described as "flinging yourself into midair and learning how to miss the ground." She was also beaten to a pulp on three separate occasions by Wynn, Sketch, and Pheniks, respectively, before managing to win against Tee. When not thusly occupied, she hobbled around Athena on legs covered with bruises that didn't seem to have realized that logically they shouldn't exist. Voldie and Vix had decided to be her official tour guides, and Silver found herself warming to the idea of actually talking to people voluntarily on a regular basis.  
  
Her tenth day found her sitting precariously on top of the Hive along with Voldie, Vix, and Yak. They were waiting for the Verdandi's return from Zion, and their current spot had a perfect view of the tunnels.  
  
'...bloody cold though...'  
  
Silver was enjoying looking out over the usual passers-by, trying to match names to faces (or hair). Spotting an uncharacteristically sullen face under a bird's nest of matted brown hair, she smiled wryly.  
  
'...that'd be Mop...one person who's not pleased the Verdandi's coming back, and bringing E.M. with it!...'  
  
She was surprised to note that she wasn't doing half badly- many of the people looked at least vaguely familiar. She was listening in on a conversation taking place about a meter directly below her boots when Yak poked her in the ribs.  
  
'...yow!...mental note to self: find way to injure Yak...or not...but what does she want?...'  
  
"What?" she demanded.  
  
"Look who's come out of hiding," Vix answered, pointing in the general direction of 'over there.' Looking where Vix pointed, Silver could tell in a split second who was being indicated. Tall, looking like he meant business, and in a very bad mood, or so it seemed.  
  
'...hell...what's bugging him?...'  
  
"Holy shit, he looks mad," Voldie commented as the person in question drew nearer. She, Vix, and Yak exchanged a look. "Let's find out why!"  
  
'...damn...one of their 'looks' again...what now?...who is that, anyway?...'  
  
It was then that Silver decided she was sick of not having things explained to her. "Who the hell is this person, anyway?" she demanded. "I've noticed you have a way of not explaining things to me, and it's pissing me off."  
  
'...ahh...it felt good to say that...'  
  
"Oh, sorry," Yak said, sounding contrite. "That's Neo."  
  
'...errr...oh yeah!...the savior-of-humanity person from that history disk...'  
  
"Ah. I see." He didn't look much like anybody's savior at the moment. To Silver, he looked more like a normal person in a rotten mood. The four of them slipped down from their seats to a stack of storage tubs and thence to the ground, and slipped into the Hive just before Neo did.  
  
'...eavesdropping makes me feel so evil...heheheheh...'  
  
"Can someone tell me where I can find Rigel? I need to talk to him." His tone was carefully mild, but he looked about as menacing as a thundercloud. Rigel, who was partially responsible for the defense system, elbowed his way through the people standing 'round and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You called?"  
  
"Yes. Unless I'm gravely mistaken, in the past five days the Nebuchadnezzar has made three different requests for a clearance date."  
  
"Oh," Vix muttered. "Boring stuff. Let's go." They returned to their perch. "Phooey. I thought maybe something important was happening."  
  
'...poor Rigel...Neo looked pretty pissed...'  
  
Her musings were cut short by a sudden hush. In the sudden quiet, a faintly staticky voice issued faintly from the Hive.  
  
"...This is the Verdandi, requesting shutdown on sensors 1- and 2a...repeat: we are waiting for sensors 1a and 2a to go offline..." Static was all there was to be heard for several long moments before the sensors apparently were disabled as requested and "...Thank you...proceeding to sector 2...ehh...make that 2a..."  
  
Yak snickered. "Stupid protocol. But Rigel the pedant will bitch endlessly if it's not observed."  
  
'...sounds like my teacher wanting us to stand by our desks when we spoke, back in seventh grade...'  
  
"Well, it's not his fault he can't figure out by himself that if they want sensor 2a offline, they're going to be in sector 2a, not 2b," Voldie remarked snidely.  
  
Slowly, the Verdandi came into sight around a slight bend in the tunnel, still a long way off, before settling to the tunnel floor and being lost to sight amidst the rubble. A moment later, the staticky voice announced "This is the Verdandi requesting clearance to proceed through sector 3...a." There was a long pause, and then, "Thanks...now proceeding...." The ship made stately progress along the tunnel, taking what seemed an inordinately large amount of time."  
  
"Stupid speed limits," Vix remarked grumpily. "And what's more, strictly speaking I think they're moving faster that they're supposed to be."  
  
"Another deadly sin, if you're Rigel," Voldie put in.  
  
'...how in hell do those things float, anyway?..."  
  
As the ship grew near, Silver just stared. As she watched, in one tightly controlled maneuver tons upon tons of metal moved neatly to their appointed spot, sending bolts of energy crackling between it and the girders of the superstructure.  
  
'...good grief...what would happen if they mucked up their landing?...ugh, don't be so morbid, Silvertree!...'  
  
"Hey Mop!" Vix called, "She's back!" The foursome perched on top of the Hive exchanged a grin as Mop fairly flew in the opposite direction, then they set off for the returned ship.  
  
###  
  
Please, please don't kill me! I wanna live!  
  
Lyrrik: You should have updated sooner then. *returns to playing with my homemade Soma cube*  
  
*sticks out tongue* You're no help. Anyways, please don't cause my gory demise, even though I sorta deserve it for not updating since November. Yes, I know that this chapter is relatively crap, but four months of revision couldn't do anything for it so it's best to just post it and get it over with. There'll be more soon, including... (drumroll, please)  
  
Milligan: *drumroll* Lyrrik: Dun dun dunn!!!!!  
  
...an actual PLOTLINE!  
  
Now, for all you lovely peoples who reviewed since the last chapter, The AWARDS CEREMONY!  
  
A.L.T2: Thanks a ton for continuing to review me.  
  
Suzuka Blade: You get the "Most Philosophical Remarks" award. Thanks a million for your insights.  
  
And of course, a million billion trillion thanks to Sway, a.k.a. The Lady Voldemort for reviewing this and "Breakfast in the City" and especially for kicking my ass into gear over the past three days to make me actually post this instead of just saying I would.  
  
You all rock!  
  
Seeya!  
S'Lark 


	17. Not Allowed

Iiiiiii'm baaaaaaaaaack! dodges maggoty tomatoes, moldy parsnips, and decomposing cabbages ...icky... Lyrrik, the disclaimer please!  
  
Lyrrik: ahem HEAR YE, HEAR YE! We are gathered here today to hear the following bit of shocking news: SandryLark does not even claim to own anything legally connected to The Matrix Trilogy, let alone the movies themselves- not so much as a disembodied squiddy tentacle. However, Project Athena is HERS- no touchy! Same goes for OC's and the spoon-bug, which is no longer in the story, but she's making me say it anyway, stupid btch that she is-  
  
THWAP Got a bit carried away, have we?  
  
Lyrrik: has collided with wall back-first upside-down in true Matrix form, making a large dent Oomf!... Um, yeah... you could say that... puts on sunglasses but my mind is free- I have escaped without injury yet again! Hah!  
  
Milligan: Stuff with single quotes and lots of ellipses (example: '...cheez wiz...') are Silvertree's thoughts...  
  
Anyways, finding myself (gasp!) without homework and in need of something to take my mind off the 75 percent I just got on my Algebra final, I'm updating. And so without further ado, I bring you...  
  
Milligan: drumroll  
  
Lyrrik: Dun dun dunn!  
  
THE NEXT CHAPTER!  
  
Project Athena: Chapter 17- Not Allowed  
  
Later, in Voldie's lair on the Skuld, Silver remarked casually, "Cassiopeia has a run scheduled for the day after tomorrow. I don't know whether to be excited or scared."  
  
'...left brain: scared!...right brain: excited!...'  
  
"Oh, you don't have to worry yet- you're not going," Voldie assured her.  
  
'...WHAT?...joking, of course...'  
  
Silver remained carefully calm. "Surely you jest."  
  
"Not in the slightest," Vix replied. "Definitely not for a month or so, probably longer."  
  
'...does not compute...'  
  
Seeing Silver turn an outraged shade of pink, she quickly added, "It's regulations. Again. Just plain evil."  
  
'...you're telling me!...okay, that **was **excited...'  
  
"Nobody ever goes back in before they've had some time to 'get their mind 'round the concept'," Voldie assured her. "That's officer-speak for 'until we've secretly psychoanalyzed them and decided they won't suddenly go berserk and start randomly shooting people or something'."  
  
'...hmpf!...it's still not fair!!...whoever said life is fair?...that's one person I **will** randomly shoot if I ever find them!...'  
  
"If it makes you feel any better, Mop's been out for nine months next week, and he's been in exactly once," N/A said comfortingly. "Why only once?"  
  
"Nobody really knows- secret. But rumor has it that he got quite a bit stranger after the first time."  
  
'...with Mop, how could you tell?...actually, he's not that bad, just...erm...different!...yeah, that's the word for it...'  
  
"Huh," Silver replied disconsolately, dropping her head into her hands. She couldn't believe it- all that fuss, the mystery person in her computer (who had turned out to be Wynn), the warehouse, the pods, the goddamn sewers, all that training, and now she had to sit on her ass and rewire faulty equipment. Making some little excuse, she stalked off in search of someplace to be alone.  
  
'...you're sulking, you know...it won't help anything...**oh, fuck off and shut up**!...'  
  
At the end of the framework she spied the ends of the massive horizontal girders which supported the platforms. If she sat at the end of one, it would make an excellent solitary perch. She decided she preferred the ones on the top level,  
  
'...away from all the people...'  
  
Creeping around the end of the hovercraft nearest her chosen eyrie, she carefully crawled out onto the beam farthest from the tunnel wall. It was a good eighteen inches wide- it'd be difficult to fall off it once she'd sat down properly. Fighting off the niggling feeling that she was being juvenile, running off to hide like this, she perched on the very end of the beam and looked at Athena from a new angle. From her perch, the mob of people milling around the Hive looked far less intimidating. Turning her gaze outward, she could see the thick tangles of wires, the cairns which marked the sectors glowing faintly in the gloom- they were splashed with phosphorescent paint for visibility. The tunnel walls soared.  
  
"So, how d'you like the view from the top, kid?"  
  
'...gyaaaaagh!...give me a heart attack, why don't ya?...'  
  
Silver practically jumped out of her skin. She very nearly fell off her beam and plummeted to the rocks below, but she managed to catch herself and turn 'round. She found herself looking at someone's boots.

###

And so, the plot thickens... WHO is the mysterious owner of the boots? WHEN will poor Silver get to do something more interesting that maintenance? And WHEN will S'Lark get her ass in gear and give the story some plot? All this and more coming up soon, I swear! I really do mean soon- I only have one and a half days of school left, and one of them is an all-day field trip to an amusement park! gloats Then I'm freeeeeeeeeeeeee! dances off singing I went down to Satan's kiiiitcheeeeen, for to get me food one morning! And there I got souls piping hooooooooot, all on the spit a-turning! Still I sing bonny boys, bonny mad boys...  
  
Lyrrik: Just give her a little while, she'll be okay eventually... and, gods willing, she'll stop singing medieval music before all our ears start to bleed! 


	18. Support

Hi. See, Ryly, I can update! Not only am I back, but I'm completely unrepentant for not having updated all summer. No, seriously it wasn't my fault- it's kinda hard to update when you don't have Internet access or even a bleeding computer...

Lyrrik: Oh, for shame, S'Lark. You could've just asked to use your aunt's computer, but noooo...

You. Quiet. Now. So, to continue... Item One: Canon Character Appearances. I figure that since I'm working on the assumption that Reloaded and Revolutions were nothing but system propaganda, I might as well mess around with the characters a little too. Nothing horrible or drastic, just a little thing here or there... Item Two: Canon Character Behavior. I'm trying to keep 'em in character, when they show up. Tell me if you think I'm not doing a good job with them. Milligan, the disclaimer please!

Milligan: (ahem) S'Lark doesn't own the Matrix movies, or anything associated with them; this including but not limited to: characters, setting, and plot elements. She is not making any money from this (as if anyone would pay anyway...). And single quotes and shitloads of little dots: '...this is an ex-parrot!...' are Silver's thoughts, not that you haven't heard this before...

And now... the chapter! The title is my feeble attempt at a pun- Support, as in Moral, and also as in Beam... Aren't I just pathetic?

Project Athena: Chapter XVIII- Support

Slowly shaking off her feeling of panic (direct result of nearly plummeting to her doom), she slowly looked up. Ordinary boots, ordinary leggings much darned and patched at the knees, ratty tunic-length sweater... and a face that looked an awful lot like Lynx.

'...way too tall, though...'

"Um... hi. I'm-"

"Silvertree, from the Cassiopeia. Lynx was telling me about you."

'...Lynx...argh...didn't her mother ever tell her it's not nice to talk behind people's backs?...'

With some effort, she stifled the useless urge to yank the mystery woman's feet out from under her and send her tumbling into the abyss.

"That's me. And you are...?"

The mystery woman ignored her question.

'...bitch...'

"I wasn't expecting to find anyone here. Usually, nobody comes up this far. Or," the woman added pointedly, "risks their neck sitting out there."

"I felt like being alone."

"What are engine rooms for, then?"

'...let's try telepathy!...go away, go away, go away, go away!!!...oh, c'mon...please?...shit, not working...'

"Lynx is rewiring something down there. Again."

"Oh. So why did you say you were sulking?"

'...nosy lady...arg!...'

"I didn't."

"But you are sulking."

Thinking happy thoughts of a mystery lady-shaped splatter on the tunnel floor, Silver took a couple of deep breaths, got her temper under control, and practically growled:

"I didn't say that either."

"Well, something's obviously bothering you."

'...yeah...you are!...'

Silver didn't trust herself to even open her mouth for fear of what she might say. When after a moment's silence it became clear she wasn't planning on responding, the mystery lady sat down on the edge of the platform, dangling her feet over the side. Now that her unwanted guest's face was on a level with her own, Silver could see that a long scar, so old as to be only a light streak in the skin, marred the left side of a face that was otherwise nearly identical to Lynx's. Through some freak of chance, it followed her cheekbone almost perfectly from the bridge of her nose to somewhere below the corner of her eye, then sloped sharply down to pass under her ear and disappear into her hair.

'...not too bad, as scars go...when that was new, it probably looked like warpaint...'

"That's what happens when you mess around with program assassins armed with straight razors."

'...agh!...was I staring?...'

"Ah... sorry..."

Apparently she didn't really give a damn whether Silver was staring or not, because she kept on talking.

"Whatever's bugging you, don't just shut up and wait for it to go away. Keep shit bottled up and it'll rot you inside. Just talk."

'...surely you jest...what are you, the resident shrink?...'

"Talk...?"

"Nobody has to hear. Just get it out of your system."

"Talk to myself. Great. The last thing I need is for everyone to think I've gone completely crazy."

'...as if you aren't already...oh, SHUT UP!...you're not helping!...'

"So talk into your pillow. Just rant. It helps."

And with that, the mystery lady got up and walked away.

'...and about time, too!...'

Silver tried to go back to her previous thoughts, but the woman's words kept coming back to haunt her, and she felt somehow guilty for sulking. Finally, she inched back to the platform and returned to the Cassiopeia, grumbling. Not having anything better to do, she went to the engine level to inquire about Lynx's irritating doppelganger. Carefully stepping over Lynx's spanner set (arranged in neat, regimental rows by size and gauge), she sat against a wall.

"Geez. Who spat in your goop? Not that you'd notice, in that stuff, but you look seriously pissed, not to mention depressed."

"I don't suppose you have a twin? Or a clone, or an alternate personality or something? 'Cause I just met someone who looks just like you, but-"

"-Has a scar on the left side of her face? That'd be my cousin Trinity."

'...Trinity...as in 'wife of the savior of mankind' Trinity?...oh shit...and she was trying to be nice, too...'

"You look like you just saw a squiddy. What's wrong?"

'...I feel like I've been ripped off...and I just acted like a bitch to one of the most famous and talented people in the real world...and I'm in a horrible mood...she doesn't want to hear about my issues...not really...'

"It's nothing."

'...nothing that's any of your business, that is...'

"You're sure? 'Cause I'm nearly done here, and if you need someone to talk to..."

"I'm fine, thanks."

'...time to try ranting into my pillow, I guess...'

And with that, she plodded off.

Woot! Angsty!Silver... or is she just PMSing? For you, Alina, first of my reviewers, giver of good advice, a character flaw! She has poor social skills and can't handle the thought of being seen as a human, with problems- nooo... she's gotta act like a supergirl, with no issues whatsoever... guess it's from acting like a good little fanatic Republican, absorbing so much of her parents' right-wing bullshit all summer without so much as turning a hair, taking revenge during the school year...

Lyrrik: Now, now, don't get ahead of yourself... Silver's backstory comes in later, remember?

Oh yeah... and nobody kill me for the whole Trinity thing, just tell me if she's in character.

Bye!


End file.
